


Caliginosity [Leo Valdez x Reader]

by Vampieyr



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Follows Original Books, Mentions of poor mental health, Mutual Pining, Possible Triggering Things (Will Put Warning), References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Semi slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:34:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28190235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampieyr/pseuds/Vampieyr
Summary: A strange new quest is approaching quickly. Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon, has gone missing and several people have been searching for him. Amidst this chaos, the goddess Hera has also disappeared. The world is on the brink of chaos as demigods from Camp Half Blood scatter to look for these missing people, including a new camper- Livana Corbin, the daughter of Nyx. She and Annabeth Chase travel to the Grand Canyon in search of Percy, but end up finding three other demigods.
Relationships: Leo Valdez/Reader
Kudos: 20





	1. New Kids On The Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a strange new story, and the rescue of three new kids; an amnesiac, a BMW stealer, and Latino Santa's Elf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter aaaaaah I'm so excited

Annabeth and Butch rode in a chariot towards The Grand Canyon, Annabeth silently begged for it to go faster-- she didn't know how much longer she could wait without Percy. A few days ago, she had a vision in which Hera told her, "look for a boy with one shoe." Annabeth sighed and rubbed her temples; she was beyond stressed. A raven swooped past her face, causing her to focus on the animal instead of her thoughts. The dark feathered creature flew next to her in the chariot. Annabeth smiled and gave a thumbs up, the raven speeding up a bit.

That raven was one of her friends, a new camper named Livana. She was currently teaching her English through Greek, as when she first arrived at camp she only knew French. Annabeth could tell she had a rough life, as was expected of a demigod. From what Annabeth could figure out, her father was an astronomer named Philippe Li Wei, but he passed when Livana was eleven years old. She moved in with her Godfather in upstate New York, but never said much passed that.

Being a daughter of Nyx, Livana had already shown great strength. Annabeth knew taking her on this trip could potentially lead to a quest and put Livana in danger-- she didn't have much battle experience yet. But she also knew Livana would fall behind her English studies without her. "She only trusts me and Nico..." Annabeth mumbled to herself. Livana cawed at her, making Annabeth smile. "Mhm, that's right, Nico," she spoke to the bird. Livana and Nico had a bit of a past together, both having similar powers and thus being drawn towards each other. Nico vaguely mentioned shadow traveling to her accidentally on several occasions.

The sound of a storm rumbling shifted Annabeth's attention up ahead. Around the canyon a large, dark cloud swirled in the sky. It was only in one part of the whole canyon, which was most definitely not a coincidence.

The feathered creature cawed at Annabeth again, seeming to ask if she could go ahead. Annabeth nodded and gave her a thumbs up, watching the Raven turn a wispy. It became a sort of flying shadow before racing ahead at incredible speeds. Livana whipped through the winds as the dark clouds became closer, growing larger and stormier. Then there it was, the canyon looked like a crazy god came out and dragged a knife through the Earth, creating the walls of the trenches. Livana shook off her amazement and focused on the situation.

Lightning, wind, and some storm spirits- She could deal with that just fine. Though she had been at camp for one summer, she was a fast learner. She picked up on her powers quick- even with the small number of siblings she had to teach her. Livana squinted her bird eyes and saw three teenagers on the glass skywalk, staring at the storm spirits. One was tall and blonde, he seemed to be fighting the spirits with a celestial sword. Another was a girl, who looked native; she was backing against the glass doors.

The last was a shorter boy, defenseless as a storm spirit advanced on him. Livana quickly wrapped herself in shadows, transforming back into her normal self. She grabbed a bit of darkness from the clouds and formed it into a nicely shaped sword, striking the storm spirit as she came down to the skywalk. She kept her sword in it, dragging down the spirit's back. It let out a bleeding screech before turning into dust. The girl let her feet hit the floor, fixing her white tennis skirt and swiping dust off her orange Camp Half Blood sweater. The wind from the storm spirits blew her long, silky black hair everywhere. She whipped the strands from her face and looked to the boy. He stared back with wide eyes, making Livana laugh softly. She turned and jumped another storm spirit, the blonde boy and native girl doing their own thing.

A satyr ran up, fighting the same storm spirit as Livana. "Bout time! Where's the rest of the extraction squad?!" He yelled. Livana gave him a strange look, slashing through the spirits head. She ran away and back up to the walk, watching the girl get up and jump onto a storm spirits back. It howled and bucked like a bull, throwing the girl off the side. Livana didn't hesitate to dive down to get her. The blonde did the same after the satyr yelled at him to help.

He and Livana were parallel as they fell, making them look at each other. Livana smiled as the boy failed to wave, the wind pushing so hard he could barely move his hand. He stretched out an arm and grabbed the girl by her waist. Then he was gone, as if he'd flew up already. Livana quickly shadow travelled to the glass walk again, falling onto her butt from being dizzy. She looked over, amazed to find the boy and girl suspended in the air. She tried to get up, but tripped over the other boy who was passed out on the bridge. Livana looked at him and guessed he hit his head.

The satyr was fighting the last spirit, but before Livana could reach him in bird form, the spirit dragged him into the storm and vanished. She stared at the clouds sadly before looking back at the three teens. The girl noticed her and stood up. "Who are you and what just happened?!" She called.

Livana landed on the railing, shifting back into a human before answering. "Ummm my name? You asked that?"

"Wasn't she a bird before?" The shorter boy asked, still on the ground. The girl turned to him angrily.

"Leo, we were just attacked my a cloud and Coach Hedge turned into a donkey! Now you're concerned if that girl was a bird?" She yelled. Livana rubbed her head, getting a bit nervous. She wished Annabeth was there to help her.

"Well excuse me, Piper! I got knocked out and gashed my head!" He yelled back. The girl, Livana assumed she was Piper, kicked the boy's foot.

"Leo? Piper?" Livana asked, her accent butchering their names. The two looked at her. "Okay. I know now!" She grinned before looking east- catching a glimpse of the chariot arriving.

"Hey girl, what even happened? That tornado guy, the gold sword, I hit my head...that's right. Im hallucinating huh?" Leo asked, still on the floor. Livana stared at him as the blonde came over to her. He picked up his sword and examined it before flipping it into the air. Halfway up, it turned into a golden coin and landed in his palm. Leo puffed out a breath and said, "Yep, I'm hallucinating."

"Hahhhh loooo....haaaaalewwwww..." Livana sounded out to herself. Piper ignored her and asked the blonde a few questions.

"Jason, what were those things?" She asked.

"Ah, Jason!" Livana smiled, happy to know the teens' names

"Venti, storm spirits," Jason answered.

"Okay, you acted as if you had seen them before- who are you?" Piper asked him, he only shook his head.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you guys- I don't know," Jason replied. Livana perked up and looked between the three of them. Jason caught her gaze and walked closer to her. "But you must know, so who are you?" He asked gently. Livana studied him as she translated what he said- he was tall and blonde, but had strikingly blue eyes. Right above his lip was a slight scar, making Livana wonder where it was from.

"You asked my name?" Livana asked. Jason nodded to confirm. "I'm Livana Corbin! I apaul- ahem... I apologize for my bad English," she smiled at them. The three nodded, Jason turning to the others.

"Coach Hedge said something about protecting three people, I think he meant us," Jason said as he put a hand on the rail.

"And that thing Dylan turned into...ugh! I can't believe that thing was hitting on me!" Piper shuddered.

Livana blinked. "He was hitting on you, yes because he was attacking you," she explained to Piper. Piper huffed, rolling her eyes.

"That's not what I meant, I was talking about flirting. But- what did he call us? Demigods?" Piper asked. Livana lit up immediately, grinning and bouncing.

"Yes yes! Demigods!" She squeaked in excitement.

"Why are you so excited? We almost died!" Leo groaned, looking at Livana. He stared at her for a bit and took in her features. She was pretty- a total babe! But a few things kept him back, one being that she obviously didn't know much English. Two, he watched her slice open storm spirits with nothing but her own shadow; he was a bit scared she'd kill him if he even spoke to her. And three, he was tired from being attacked. Leo snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Livana get sad.

He panicked and hoped cracking a joke would excite her again. "I don't know what demi means but I'm not feeling too godly, you guys feeling godly?" Leo asked. He looked back to Livana to see if his idea worked, but her attention was pulled when the skywalk shuddered.

"We need to get off this thing-" Jason started but Livana pushed him and pointed at the sky with excitement.

"Annabeth is here!" She cheered.

"Ohhhkayyyy, tell me- are those are flying horses?" Leo asked, finally standing on his feet. The chariot landed on the skywalk, Annabeth got out quickly with a hopeful look. She pulled out a knife and approached the group, Livana skipping to her side.

"Where is he?" She asked them, glancing to Livana.

"Who?" Jason asked. Annabeth clutched her knife as her eyes bore onto him; she pulled back after a bit and looked to Livana.

"Can you search from the air?" She asked, putting her hands together to form a bird. Livana smiled and swept a shadow over herself, quickly forming into a raven.

"I told you she was a bird!" Leo yelled as Livana dove off the skywalk.

She searched the parking lot, buses, building, and a few miles of the canyon but there was still no Percy. She flew back sadly, transforming into herself before landing on the walk.

Annabeth looked to her expectantly. "No Percy," Livana frowned. Annabeth closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head after.

"Thank you..." she managed to say. Livana walked back to the three new teens and waved.

"Hi again! It's Paper, Jordan, and...." she tried recalling their names. "Ah! Sorry, Piper, Jason, and Leo!" She grinned.

Leo swallowed his fear and pushed his hair back. "That's right, what's your name again?" He asked slyly.

"Livana Corbin! My googly- uh sorry! My godly parent is Nyx, goddess of the night!" She grinned. "I hope we can all be good ami- err... friends!"

"Likewise, you're English is very good!" Leo complimented. He watched her eyes sparkle, causing him to grin.

-

Livana flew next to the chariot once again, the three teens sneaking glances at her. Every minute or so, one of them asked a question.

"This is so cool!" Leo spit a Pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place-- the only safe place for people like us. Camp Half Blood," Annabeth answered.

"Half blood? Is that some kind of bad joke?" Piper asked bitterly, already on guard.

"She means we're demigods, half mortal and half god," Jason explained.

"You seem to know a lot, Jason. But yes, demigods. My mother is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Livana is the daughter of Nyx, and Butch here is a child of Iris, the goddess of rainbows," Annabeth told them, Leo choking.

"Your mom is a rainbow goddess?" He asked.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Butch challenged. Livana swooped between the teens, laughing sweetly. When she could understand what they were saying, she found them very funny.

"No no. Rainbows. Very macho," Leo covered himself quickly.

"Butch is our best equestrian, he's good with the pegasai," Annabeth informed.

"Rainbows, ponies."

"I'm gonna throw you off this chariot." Livana swooped down again.

"Nooooooo..." she whined as she dove past them. Leo stuck his hand up to touch her but instead she landed on him. He smiled at her.

"Demigods," Piper said. "You mean you think we're-" lightning flashed and the chariot shuddered. Livana screamed and accidentally shifted back into a human, squishing in-between the kids. She pushed through them and looked over the side.

"Fire!" She yelled, noticing one of the wheels was a flame. The wind roared, making her look up. Her eyes met another storm spirit. "Shit!"

"Hey! Where did you learn that?!" Annabeth scolded, looking back at Livana. She forgot how mad she was when she also noticed the spirit.

"Why are they-"

"Anemoi thuelai come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes spirits, sometimes stallions-- it depends on how chaotic they are. Hold on, this is gonna get rough. Livana!" Annabeth called. Livana nodded and grabbed each of the teens shadows, pulling them into a spear. She took aim before throwing the weapon. She speed and strength of it vaporized a spirit the second it touched it.

"Cool!" Leo yelled in awe. He turned back to Livana who pushed him down and stood on his back. "Ack!"

"Sorry!" She apologized.

"Yikes! You're light!" He sighed, looking up at her. Livana stuck her hand out, a bright light appearing in her palm. She took aim at another spirit and tossed the light, it exploded when the spirit ran into it. She smiled down at Leo before pushing off his shoulders, diving into the sky.

Livana quickly turned into a raven again, but before she could attack the other spirit, it grabbed her. She screamed and struggled. In a flash, the spirit vaporized and dropped Livana into the water below.

The chariot had also crashed ahead in the lake. The Naiads grabbed the three new kids and Annabeth, Butch was busy calming the pegasai down. Livana swam to shore and quickly stood up, sticking her hand up her sweater sleeve. She grimaced and pulled her hand out, seeing blood on her fingers. "Oh no..."

The other campers made a half moon around the teens as they came up to shore.

"Annabeth!" Will came out of the crowd. "I said you could borrow the chariot- not destroy it!" He yelled.

"Will, I'm sorry. I'll fix it, I promise," Annabeth apologized while Will sized up the newbies.

"Are these the ones? They look a lot older than 13, why haven't they been claimed yet?"

"Claimed?" Leo asked. Before Annabeth could explain, Will cut her off and asked another question.

"Any sign of Percy?" Annabeth shook her head sadly, campers muttering among themselves. Drew stepped forward and batted her pink eyelashes, eyeing Jason.

"I hope they're worth the trouble," she said after sending Piper a gross look. Leo snorted.

"Gee thanks, what are we? Your new pets?"

"No kidding, how about before you judge us you answer our questions. Like, where are we, why are we here, how long are we gonna stay?" Jason agreed with Leo.

Livana was busy grabbing her blood-soaked sleeve, worried about her arm. When she turned back, all the campers were staring at Leo.

"That," Annabeth said. "Is claimed. Jason, your questions will be answered. And Drew, all demigods are worth saving. Will, can you take Leo and give him a tour?"

"Sure," Will answered, taking Leo away from the crowd.

Before Leo left, he glanced at Livana worriedly. She caught his gaze and quickly turned away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that!!! plz give me some feedback if you can. Also, since Nyx's kids weren't described in the book, I got Livana's powers off the Wiki, so If you want to learn more then try there!


	2. Explosive Campfires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the newbies settle into camp, they learn that they are part of the chosen eight of the newest prophecy. They prepare to embark on a new quest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi againnnn :)

Livana had recovered a from earlier injury and was searching for Nico; she knew he liked hanging around Will so if he was here today, finding him was her best chance. She wandered around camp, past the armory and Hermes cabin. After a bit, she peeked into the Hephaestus cabin, seeing Will next to a fully-casted Jake- Leo was plopped onto Becendorf's old bed. "Will!" Livana smiled, skipping up to the blonde. The boy turned and smiled back.

"Hey Liv!" He greeted. Leo had his arms crossed under his head, watching the both of them closely. Livana was still a little wet from the river, but he noticed she hadn't changed clothes.

"Where's Nico?" She asked. Will shrugged at her question.

"Not here right now, why do you need him?"

"Ah..." Livana took a second to translate. "Oh he's not here? I miss him...also! He has my sword, I want it because....what is it again? Becoming the bird?"

"Oh, shadow-shifting? You want the sword because of shadow-shifting?" Will asked, doing his best to fill in the blanks for her. Livana nodded.

"Yeah what was that bird thing?" Leo asked, standing up from the bed. He took a few pipe cleaners from his pockets and started messing with them. "Are you a shapeshifter, missy?"

"Uh... no. Annabeth said it was shadow-shifting, which is a thing Nyx kids do!" She answered, unable to pick up Leo's fake attitude.

"A sort of mimic," Will explained for him.

"So what, you could copy people too? Or is it limited to birds?"

Livana grew a bit nervous. "Umm I-I can shadow-shift..." she stopped talking when Leo started doing a chicken dance.

"Will, she's not mimicking me. I think Livana's broken," Leo said cautiously. Livana stared at him before looking back to Will.

"Am I being joked of?" She asked him. Will shook his head.

"No I think he's just making a joke in general," Will chuckled. Livana rubbed her head.

"Um. Haha! Good joke!" She laughed. It sounded like a real laugh- not sarcastic or anything; but her smile didn't reach her eyes. Leo stopped dancing and studied her.

"By the way, is your arm okay?" He asked. Livana suddenly looked pale- well more pale than before.

"My...my what?" Her voice became softer like she was afraid. Leo grew worried.

"Hey it's okay, your arm," he pointed to his own arm and wiggled it around. "Is yours okay?" Will tilted his head and looked at her sleeve, noticing most of her forearm was stained red.

"My gods, Liv! Did you get hurt?" Will asked, reaching for it. Livana flinched and stepped away.

"It's fine, a...spirit got me..." she mumbled. Leo nodded to vouch for her.

"When I saw you at the lake it looked pretty bad. You sure you got it fixed up?" He asked, pulling Will away slightly. Livana studied his behavior, he seemed...much more understanding. Did he know?

"Yes, I fixed it. I really need to see Nico," her voice shook as she spoke. Something in the cabin fell off a shelf and broke, turning the boys' attention away. In a split second, Livana was gone.

-  
The conch horn for dinner was blown and the campers made their way to the mess hall with their cabin mates. Leo was left to his own devices in the forges, not hearing the call for food. He had several thoughts about camp, his father, and the Nyx girl- Livana. He was so curious about her; she was pretty, mysterious, sweet, everything good. The boy looked to his hand, remembering his mother. Sadness fell onto his features as the painful memory nested into his mind again. "All I do is hurt people..." he spoke, barely a whisper. Fire ignited in his palm- the flames moving in a dance. It was bright, warm, and beautiful, yet he could only see it as something horrible. He studies the heat for a while longer until the second bell for dinner rang; this time Leo heard it. He killed the fire in his hand and turned to walk out, but was met by Livana.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Leo started panicking.

"How much of that did you see??" He asked, getting slightly defensive.

"You're a...fire user..." Livana said in awe. She was shocked because not many people at camp could use elemental magic.

"You can't tell anyone! Nobody!" He warned her. He couldn't tell if she was scared of his powers or not. "You got it?!"

"You...what?" Livana asked, confused and nervous.

"You can't tell anyone about what you saw!" He grabbed her small hands to get her attention, but ironically he lost his thought. Her hands were so cold, but they balanced him perfectly. His hot hands felt a bit of ease when touching hers, so he squeezed them a bit. Livana retracted her hands quickly and covered her face.

"I'm sorry, I wont tell anyone! I'm sorry, forgive me!" She apologized frantically.

I scared her, Leo realized.

"Livana...I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" He asked, despite knowing the answer. He put his hands up carefully, watching her step away. She trembled and flinched at every word he spoke; Leo frowned, thinking he ruined everything. They stood there for a minute, apologizing to each other until their voices became a silent whisper. Livana stopped shaking and peeked an eye open at him. The boy infront of her waved slightly, a worried look on his face.

"Livana...?" He asked quietly. She uncovered her face slowly, pulling her hands down to her chest.

"You didn't hit me?" She blinked slightly. Leo squinted.

"What? No! Why would I do that?" He frowned. "Look, I'm sorry for scaring you. But please, don't tell anyone about what you saw. It'd probably be best to forget it, too..." he looked down. Livana slowly reached her hand out to touch him; she ruffled his hair slightly and brushed her knuckles against his forehead.

"You feel warm. In a good way..." she mumbled.

"It's my fire powers I guess," he leaned into the last bit of her touch. "You're cold, in a good way." Livana smiled sheepishly and they stared at each other again.

"Ah! Dinner!" Livana jumped up. Leo gasped.

"I forgot about dinner!" He fixed his shirt.

"Dinner!" Livana told him

"Dinner!" He grinned.

They started chanting the word repeatedly, fumbling their arms around. Livana laughed with Leo, leaning into him a bit. She looked up at him happily, earning a slight blush from Leo.

"Go get dinner," she smiled and patted his head, disappearing into the shadows. Leo stared at where she was just a second ago, sad she wasn't coming with him.

-

Campfires were easily one of the best things about Camp Half Blood- the colors of the fire depended on peoples mood, but since Percy was gone they were less vibrant.

Jason was infront with Annabeth, Livana sat with 3 other kids- all with black hair and skin that looked colorless, Leo sat with the Cabin 9 kids, and Piper sat with Rachel. Chiron came forward, his white fur shining against the fire's light. He gave a warm welcome to the three newbies and introduced himself. "I am Chiron, camp activities director. I'm happy that you have arrived with most of your limbs intact. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores. However, first-"

"What about capture the flag?" An Ares kid interrupted, starting a mumble between the rest of their cabin.

"Yes, I know the Ares cabin is anxious to get back into the woods for our regular games," Chiron insisted. Livana and her cabin-mates all shifted in their places- the 4 of them had a weird history with capture the flag. 

"We also wanna kill people!" Another Ares added.

"However," Chiron did his best to ignore the camper, "until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin nine, anything to report on that?" All eyes were on Nyssa, a cabin nine kid.

Livana knew minimal information about the situation regarding the dragon, so she watched Nyssa carefully. Leo became visible to Livana as she stood, she saw the boy shoot a wink at Piper and Livana couldn't help but smile.

"Ahem," Nyssa cleared her throat shakily as she stood. "We're working on it."

"How, Nyssa?" An Ares kid stood. Livana studied his features in the light of the fire; he wasn't very attractive. His brute stature and choppy hair wasn't exactly what Livana would call handsome.

"It's really hard, but it'd probably go faster if the Nyx cabin dropped the dare," Nyssa stated, anger behind her words. All eyes were on the Nyx cabin now, Livana unaware what Nyssa meant- she must have been with Annabeth on that day.

"No way," her sibling started. Erica Cherrywood, Livana remembered them from her first day. They helped her a lot with getting used to her demigod powers. "If we can go the next two and a half weeks without dropping in, we get ninety-five percent off anything in the camp store," Erica grinned, running hands through their shoulder length hair. "Will promised."

"Besides that," another Nyx kid stood, this time it was Damon Gorham. "There's only a slim chance we could take that thing down. Yes, our powers are increased by seventy-two percent at night, but if any source of fire is near us during that time it shoots down. Not to mention, if either of us get blasted with the fire, its fourteen times worse for us than any other demigod."

"Besides the dragon and our normal routines, we have a greater matter to discuss," Chiron spoke louder than any of us.

"Percy?" A Hermes kid called. Annabeth's gaze quickly fell to the floor as the mention of her boyfriend. Seeing as how eyes were on her now, she stood up.

"We didn't find Percy at the Grand Canyon, I was wrong about where I thought he was..." her voice caught when she spoke his name. "But we're not giving up. We've got teams everywhere- Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis- everyone's out looking. We will find him. Chiron's talking about something different, though. A new quest," she finished.

"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" Drew spoke up from the Aphrodite group. Livana rolled her eyes; she hated that girl.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.

"Well come on," Drew spread her arms out like the truth was obvious, "Olympus is closed, Percy's disappeared, Hera sent you a vision and you come back with three new demigods in one day! I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?" As soon as Drew finished, everyone looked to Rachel.

Rachel stepped forward, leaving Piper on the bench by herself. The red head cleared her throat and looked around. "Yes, The Great Prophecy has begun," she spoke. Voices broke out everywhere, shooting questions and clamors about. Rachel put up her hand and the commotion died down.

"For those of you who haven't heard it, it arrived in August," Rachel said. Livana sat up, ready to hear it for the first time. "Eight half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall-" Rachel stopped when Jason stood, chanting like a catholic priest.

"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus. Et hostes ornamenta ardent ad ianuam necem," he finished. Livana quickly translated it- she understood Latin better than English. She realized that Jason said and gasped.

"You...you just finished the Prophecy... An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you-"

"I know those lines," Jason cut Rachel off. "I don't know how, but I know the Prophecy."

"In Latin, no less. Handsome and smart," Drew giggled. Jason sat back down awkwardly, Annabeth patting his shoulder as Rachel spoke again.

"Uh, yeah that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it wouldn't happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof, it's just a feeling. But like Drew said, some pretty weird shit's going down. The eight demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling that some are here tonight, some are not." Campers muttered among themselves, sending suspicious glances at each other.

"We don't know what the Great Prophecy means, nor the challenge the demigods will face. But the first Prophecy lead is to the Titan Lord Kronos, which means this Prophecy will lead us to something much worse. What we do know is the first phase has begun. Hera, the queen of the heavens, had been taken," Rachel told the campers. She continued to explain the events at the skywalk, Coach Hedge, Piper passing out in Hera's cabin, and Jason's vision. Livana did her best to understand but it wasn't easy. She asked her siblings to dumb it down for her, and thankfully Erica had taken some French in high school.

"Jason, do you remember your last name?" Rachel asked him, only for Jason to shake his head. "Okay then we'll just call you Jason. It's clear that Hera has personally given you a quest."

"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil, some sort of King that's rising. For reasons we don't understand yet, it must happen by the winter solstice- four days from now."

"That's the council day of the gods," Annabeth started, "if the gods don't already know Hera's gone, then they will soon. They'll break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."

"The winter solstice is also a time of great darkness," Chiron told them. "The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic. Older than the gods. It's a day when things...stir."

"Thanks for that lovely speech, Captain Sunshine," Annabeth said sarcastically, glaring at the old centaur. "Whatever is going on, I agree with Rachel- Jason was chosen to lead this quest, so-"

"Then why hasn't he been claimed yet?" Another Ares kid called, Livana was starting to get angry with those guys.

"He has been claimed. Long ago," Chiron announced. He looked to Jason as he stood up. He pulled a coin out of his pocket and flipped it; we all watched as it spun and turned into a long ranged golden sword.

"Dude, I want one!" Conner Stol called. "It's better than Clarisse's spear, Lamer!"

Jason muttered something under his breath before telling everyone to back away from him. He raised his sword to the sky and a bolt of lightning arched around his weapon before hitting the campfire. Livana flinched and threw her arms infront of herself quickly, her ears ringing loudly. "Oops, sorry..." Jason apologized after noticing Livana's frightened reaction.

"A little over kill, but I think you've proved your point." Chiron brushed a few burning coal bits from his beard. "And I believe I know who your father is."

"Jupiter. I mean- Zeus, lord of the sky," Jason corrected himself. The camp was silent before bursting out with questions.

"Hold it, hold it! How is he the son of Zeus? The Big Three made a pact not to have anymore children! How could we not have known about him sooner?" Annabeth asked Chiron; he didn't answer.

"The important thing is that Jason is here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means that he'll need his own Prophecy," Rachel said as she closed her eyes, swooning over. Two campers quickly caught her and held her up. She speedily regained herself and began talking.

"Child of lightning, beware the Earth, the giants revenge the eight shall birth," as she spoke, green mist poured from her mouth. "The forge and dove shall break the cage, and death unleash through Hera's rage." On her last words, Rachel fainted. The two campers quickly carried her next to Chiron. It was silent until Piper spoke up.

"Is that normal? I mean, does she spew green smoke a lot?" Drew scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Gods, you're dense!" She sneered. "She just issued a prophecy- Jason's prophecy to save Hera! Why don't you just-"

"Drew," Annabeth snapped. "Piper asked a fair question. Something about that prophecy isn't normal. If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death, why should we free her? It might be a trap, or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes."

"I don't have much of a choice," Jason said. "Hera took my memories, I need them back. Besides, we can't just not save the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble." Nyssa stood up quickly.

"You could be right, but you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful, she threw her own son- our father- down a mountain because he was ugly," she said.

"Real ugly," an Aphrodite girl sneered.

"Shut up!" Nyssa growled. "Anyways, we've also got to think- why beware the Earth? And what's the Giants revenge? What are we dealing with here that's powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?"

Annabeth sighed. "It's Jason's quest, so it's his choice. Obviously, he's the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions-"

"Three," Chiron interrupted. Annabeth turned towards him, puzzled. "Four campers for this quest may be wise, seeing as how this Prophecy seems different than most of the previous we've had," he explained, tugging at a small strand of his beard.

"Well, Annabeth you obviously have the most experience," Travis called out.

"No Travis," Annabeth started. "First off, I am not helping Hera. Every time I've tried she's deceived me or its come to bite me back later. Forget it. Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning to go find Percy."

"It's connected," Piper said quickly, looking at Annabeth. "You know it's true, right? Your boyfriend's disappearance, it's all connected."

"If you're so smart then tell me how?" Drew demanded. Piper couldn't form an answer

"You may be right, Piper," Annabeth defended her quickly. "If this is connected, then I'll find out on the other end, by searching for Percy. As I said, I'm not about to rush off to rescue Hera, even if her disappearance sets the rest of Olympians fighting again. But there's another reason I can't go; the Prophecy said so."

"It says who I pick," Jason said. "The forge and dove shall break the cage. The forge is the symbol of Vul- Hephaestus."

"If you've gotta beware the Earth, you should avoid traveling over land. Therefore, you'll need air transport. The flying chariot is broken, and we're using the pegasai to look for Percy. But maybe the Hephaestus cabin can figure out something else to help. With Jake stuck in his body cast prison, I'm senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest," Nyssa explained. She didn't sound happy about joining but before Jason could pick her, Leo stood up.

"It's me," he said. Some of his cabin-mates tried to pull him back down, but he stood his ground. "No, it's me. I've got an idea for transportation. Trust me, I can fix this!" He grinned at looked Jason, who in turn studied him with a smile.

"We started this together, Leo. Seems right that you come along. Find us a ride, you're in " he agreed. Leo pumped his fist and bounced around.

"It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."

"Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look too excited. "I mean- oh! Cool! Suffering? I love suffering, lets do this."

I don't like suffering, Livana thought, still tense from Jason's lighting strike.

"Livana," Jason spoke again, catching her attention. She turned towards him and tilted her head. "I'd like you to come with us if you're willing. I saw how well you fought those storm spirits back at the canyon. I can only imagine how good a fighter you'd be on our team; you'd be extremely helpful," he said. Livana took a second to understand what he said before standing up. In the moment, she thought she'd look cool until the height difference between her and Jason was too apparent.

"I'll join!" She grinned, putting her hands on her hips. She looked over to Leo and the two made eye contact, instantly busting out in goofy grins; the kind when a teacher partners two best friends together.

"Then Jason, you need to pick a fourth quest member," Annabeth reminded the blonde boy. "The dove-"

"Oh, absolutely!" Drew shot to her feet with a grin. "The dove is Aphrodite, everybody knows that. I am totally yours."

"Ew," Livana grimaced, not knowing how loudly she said that. Drew glared at her and started to walk in her direction. Piper quickly stood.

"No!"

"Oh please, dumpster girl. Back off."

"I had the vision of Hera, not you. I have to do this."

"Anyone can have a vision!" Drew snapped back at Piper. "You were just in the right place at the right time," she huffed, looking back over to Jason. "Look, fighting is fun and all. People who build things and turn into magic rats," she looked towards Leo and Livana in disdain. Livana diverted her eyes in shame, making Leo pretty heated.

"A magic rat is more impressive than your ego, Drewsnob!" He yelled at her. She flipped him off before looking to Jason.

"I guess somebody has to get their hands dirty. But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive, I could help a lot." Campers started muttering their agreement before Piper spoke again.

"No! I'm supposed to go!" She yelled. The campers nodded their agreements to Piper. Livana felt split between the two girls before realizing they were using charm speak.

"Get over it! What can Piper do?!" Drew shouted. Nobody answered. "Well, I guess that settles it," she sneered. The whole camp suddenly gasped- Piper was suddenly made up. She wore a flowing white dress, sandals, and her hair was done neatly. There was a glowing pink aura around her and her snowboarding jacket was gone. Piper quickly took out her dagger and looked at her reflection.

"God, what happened?" She asked in shock. Livana awed at her beauty; she thought she was attractive before but the way she looked now made Livana's heart pound. In a way, she was jealous that she couldn't look that good.

"Piper you're a knockout!" Jason exclaimed. Chiron cleared his throat

"Hail, Piper McLean. Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."


	3. First Date Ideas: Dragon Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo and Livana hunt for a bronze dragon to use as a ride on their quest, and thus sharing their first hangout session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Livana is gonna speak a bit of French in this chapter, and even though I took some French classes I don't remember shit. I used google translate so it might be messy but hopefully not! And French is fairly similar to Spanish so sometimes Leo can understand what she's saying.

Curious to know how Leo was going to get them transportation in less than twenty-four hours, Livana followed him after the campfire was over. He jumped out of his seat and hurried towards the woods. Livana noticed he seemed to be thinking hard as he walked; she contemplated walking up to him or following him secretly. "Leo!" She called out, choosing the first option. He whipped around quickly and grinned.

"Livana! Wanna help me catch a dragon?" He asked, pausing his walk so she could catch up.

"Wanna help what?" She squinted as she made her way to him.

"Dragon. The thing in the forest that everyone at camp is worried about. I'm planning on using it for our quest!"

"Huh? Oh oh! Great idea! I can help?" Livana asked him.

"Yeah that's what I asked before," he smiled and offered his hand. "Right this way, m'lady." Livana laughed softly before grabbing his hand. Leo held it tightly- but not too tight- and pulled her a bit closer. "Watch your step," he spoke softly.

"I can see in the dark," Livana reminded him. "I should be telling you to watch your feet. And there's a pit there." Livana pulled him back slightly. Leo let his eyes adjust to the darkness and studied the trap.

"One hundred feet, ringed by boulders, is that a bathtub?" He sniffed the air. "Filled with Tabasco sauce and motor oil? That's just what it likes." Livana watched him study the area like a puzzle piece. He let go of Livana and said, "I'm gonna go down there. Stay out incase something happens."

"Be careful to not set it off..." Livana whispered. Leo nodded and pet her head, turning around and carefully walking into the pit. Livana felt the ground tremor slightly, making her nervous. Her sharp ears picked up the roar of a dragon close by. "Leo?"

"Shhh," he told her. Livana shifted nervously, knowing he heard it too; his attention was fixated on something in the pit. The roar became louder as the ground tremored more.

"Leo!" Livana whisper-yelled.

"Shhh!" He shushed her again, not looking back. Livana bit her lip and looked up, seeing the dragon across the pit and infront of Leo. It was sixty feet long with celestial bronze plates packed together along the mechanical beast. It had glowing red eyes, claws the size of butcher knives- but no wings. "You don't have wings," Leo commented, now looking at the mechanical beast. It stopped snarling and tilted its head, almost confused that the two weren't running away. "Hey no offense, you're amazing! Good god, who made you? But if it was me. I would have put wings on you," Leo said, admiring the dragon. "What kind of dragon doesn't have wings?"

"What if it's too heavy to fly?" Livana asked. Leo nodded.

"I should have thought of that," he sighed. The dragon suddenly stepped forward, almost into the trap. Leo shouted, "No!" making the dragon growl. "It's a trap, bronze brain. They're trying to catch you." The dragon opened its maw and blew a huge stream of blazing fire on Leo. Livana gasped and drew back a bit to avoid the heat; she knew Leo would be okay because of his fire powers. The flames died down, and Leo stood perfectly fine.

"You can't burn me," he said smugly. "Stay, boy. I don't want you to get caught. See, they think you're broken and have to be scrapped. I don't believe that. I can fix you if-" the dragon roared and charged, springing the trap. Livana jumped back, watching a huge net rise and wrap both Leo and the dragon- the oil and Tabasco spilling on them. The bronze creature spewed flames every which way; Leo struggled to keep from getting squished under the dragon.

"Leo!" Livana yelled, trying to avoid the blasts of heat. "What do you want me to do?"

"Ah! Do you think you could cut that rope-" Livana cut him off by grabbing a bit of her shadow and turned it into a small knife, cutting a chunk of rope by his arm. Leo fell out of the net as the dragon roared; it slammed its tail on him- Livana pulled him into her arms and out of the way. The force of the two colliding knocked Livana off her balance; Leo quickly caught her and picked her up, making a run for it.

-

"Aha. Well no wonder," Leo said. The dragon creaked at the boy, Livana sitting on its head to stop it from moving too much. She was still amazed at how Leo got it under control. "You've got a corroded control disc, probably regulates your higher reasoning circuits-"

"What are you saying??" Livana asked in a shy tone. "I don't know big English words yet..."

"Oh shoot, sorry," Leo rubbed his neck. "Means he's got a rusty brain."

"Ohhhhh," Livana nodded. "Is it replaceable?"

"Yeah but I need some parts; a replacement disc, but this is a complicated piece of circuitry. Imma have to take it out and clean it. Only be a minute, buddy." Livana watched as Leo took out the control disc, the dragon going completely still. He mopped up some Tabasco sauce and oil then cleaned the disc with his sleeve.

"How does it work?" Livana asked curiously, staring at the gap in the back of the dragon's head.

"What?" Leo asked, without looking up from the metal disc.

"The... circle you're holding. How does it work with the daggon?" Leo laughed and looked up at her.

"You know what this is, right?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, it's a brain? Not really but it functions like that. And the daggon can't work without it. But what's it do?" Livana asked, once again butchering the word 'dragon'.

"Pretty sure its some sort of artificial intelligence, but not exactly or specifically that. It's like his heart and brain. I took it out and he- well...died," Leo told her.

"Yeah, died..." Livana repeated sadly. A few silent minutes went by before Leo climbed onto the dragon's back, handing the disc to Livana. She grabbed it and held it carefully, watching Leo clean the wiring and gearboxes- but covering himself with oil in the process. He muttered something under his breath, Livana unable to catch it. "Did you immediately think of the daggon after Nyssa said air travel, or did you have many ideas at the campfire?" Livana spoke up again.

"Uh I dunno. Honestly. I try not to think. It interferes with being nuts," Leo replied. Livana laughed into her hand.

"Nuts? Des noisettes? Votre version de noix est un dragon de soixante pieds?" Livana spoke in French and motioned to the dragon. "C'est fou!" She laughed. Leo rolled his eyes, understanding most of what she said because he knew Spanish. "It doesn't have wings either."

"Yeah, yeah I know geez," Leo sighed, looking back down. Livana leaned forward and put her fingers under his chin, lifting it gently so they could lock eyes; Leo felt a blush creep to his face.

"This is the best version of crazy I've seen in all my years," she complimented. Leo smiled and chuckled.

" 'In all my years'. You're making yourself sound ancient, lassy," he said with an Irish accent.

"Psh! Very funny!" Livana giggled and gently flicked his nose. After a few minutes, Leo finished and took the disc from Livana, setting it back in the dragon's neck. It's red eyes flickered to life once more

"Better?" Leo asked the machine. It opened its mouth and rotated its teeth. "I guess that's a yes. Hold on, we'll free you." The two teens quickly set to work on getting the ropes off the dragon, who in turn happily blasted white fire into the sky. "Seriously, could you not show off?"

"He needs a name," Livana suggested. Leo nodded and thought for a second.

"Imma call you Festus," he grinned. The dragon whirred its teeth in response.

"Good job! But how will you give Festus wings?"

"Right, ummm..." Leo stared at the dragon's side for a moment, but looked up when it made a gesture; it wanted Leo to get on his back. He grinned and instantly climbed onto the dragon. "You comin'?" He asked Livana.

"Huh? Oh! Uhm...I don't know..." She replied.

"Liv come on! This is awesome!!"

"I'm scared..." Livana said quietly, looking down to her feet.

"It's okay, I won't let anything happen to you," Leo promised the girl, offering his hand. "I'll help you up."

"Okay," Livana grimaced slightly as she took his warm hand; their temperatures balanced once again as she climbed onto the bronze creature. Livana didn't mind how dirty the dragon was- or Leo, for that matter; her clothes were already stained from the day so she'd just get rid of them later.

"Let's go then!" Leo yelled. Livana quickly wrapped her arms around the boy as the dragon charged through the woods.

-

The two lost track of time as the machine sprinted through the trees. Livana was practically squeezing Leo to death with how tight she held onto him. Her face was buried in his upper back to avoid branches that would smack them occasionally. The deeper into the forest they got, the taller the trees and thicker the leaves became- almost becoming a canopy that blocked the sky. Eventually, the dragon stopped at a giant cliff; Festus posed at it like a dog pointing. The teens slid off the metal dragon and looked at the wall of rock.

"It's not going to move for you," Leo said as he walked up to the cliff. He placed a hand on it and a loud crack was heard; he turned back to a shocked Livana.

"Did you punch it?" Livana asked him. After a bit of silence, Leo defended himself.

"No, I just placed my hand on it-"

"It sounded like you broke something, are you okay?"

"Yeah-"

"But you punched the rock."

"No! I swear I'm innocent! Maybe the rock just decided to break the second I touched it!"

"....It doesn't like you."

"Probably not."

"It really hates you."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"You-" Livana was cut off when light appeared on the rock, outlining Leo's hand. Then the golden light spread out along the cliff until it outlined a giant door, at least three times the size of Festus. The doors swung open, not making a single sound.

"Perfectly balanced," Leo breathed out in awe, running his hands along the stone as he walked after Festus into the bunker; Livana followed him hesitantly. "This is some first rate engineering." The two of them became a bit shifty when the door closed behind them.

"What is this place?" Livana asked the boy. Leo studied papers on a wall; Festus had made himself right at home and lied down on a platform in the middle of the bunker. The teen picked up a paper with a colorful drawing on it. Livana walked over to study it with him, seeing a bronze airship with white sails, the figure head was a massive bronze dragon face. "Looks like Festus."

"Yeah, weird." Leo turned to Festus, who gestured to a tool belt that was left next to his pad. He walked over to the belt as Livana studied the area around the dragon.

"Look!" She gasped, pointing at chains that hung over Festus' head. Leo followed the direction of her finger with his chocolate orbs; when he saw what hung on the chains, a devilish smile grazed his lips.

"We've got work to do," he said. Livana stifled a yawn and nodded. "You, however," Leo pointed at her, "make a nice spot for yourself to rest. You deserve it." She smiled and hugged him.

"Good luck," she said tiredly. She ruffled his hair and grazed his forehead with her knuckles, like how she did in the Forges. Leo followed the last bit of touch her hand gave him, watching her turn and make herself a sleeping area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAA I hope you guys liked this chapter c:


	4. Chilly Flights on Happy the Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four travel on their new dragon to Quebec while Livana freezes her butt off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made great reference photos on artbreeder! I can't put in photos here so PLEEEEASE go look at them on wattpad! The story is under the same name as here.

Livana clung to Leo as they flew over the camp, riding on Festus' back. She was okay with flying, she knew she'd be fine as a bird but on a dragon is a different story. Campers ran out in pajamas and battle armor, ready to take down the bronze machine. The archers from the Apollo Cabin readied themselves, causing Leo to panic slightly. "Don't shoot!" He yelled down to them as he landed Festus. The campers made a loose ring around the dragon and demigod pair, still ready for any necessary combat. Nobody wanted to get close, though they couldn't be blamed; the dragon was huge- at least sixty feet of pure celestial bronze with steel teeth and talons. It's eyes were like glowing rubies.

"It's beautiful," Piper spoke breathlessly, the other campers stared at her strangely. Festus arched back and shot a column of fire into the sky; the campers backed up further. Leo slid down the dragon's back with a crazy grin on his face, holding his hands up like he was surrendering.

"People of Earth! We come in pies- we come in peace!" Livana laughed quietly into her hand, thinking about how goofy he was. What was the word for it again? Dunce? No, that meant stupid- she'd heard Annabeth call someone from the Ares cabin that. Stork? No, dork! Leo is a dork, Livana thought to herself. A small, fluttery sensation filled her chest and stomach. It was unfamiliar to her, so she quickly shook it off.

The girl looked back to the goofball boy and watched him; he was covered in soot from head to toe. His cargo boots were nearly as dirty as his greasy, curly brown hair. His hands were black with grease, and through the night he wiped them on his new leather toolbelt- the one he found in the bunker. His eyes were bloodshot and he smelled strongly of Tabasco sauce. But he was happy, and his smile never left his face once. Livana struggled to suppress the flutters in her stomach. She felt warm, like seriously warm- fever levels of heat. Anxious to get away from this strange feeling, Livana ruled it off as her coming down with a sickness.

"Leo, what have you done?" Jason asked in amazement.

"We found a ride!" Leo beamed, glancing back to Livana then Jason again. "You said I could go on the quest if I found you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!"

"It- It has wings," Nyssa stammered, jaw nearly at the floor.

"Yup! We found them and put them back on!" Leo said, talking as if Livana helped with his work. She felt like correcting him, but her throat was dry and had a lump in it- like she choked on her words before they came out.

"But it never had wings...where did you find them?" Nyssa asked. Leo paused and glanced back at a sickly looking Livana.

"The woods," she answered for him, finally able to get a few words out. Leo hid his worry for her and looked back to his sister.

"Right! What she said. Repaired some circuits too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire."

"Mostly?" Nyssa stared at the dragon, who in twitched and turned its head to the side; black liquid- hopefully oil- poured out of its ear and all over Leo. Livana covered her mouth and snorted.

"Just some extra things that need to be worked on," she smiled at the campers, handing Leo a towel she created from shadows. "And with Festus' fire, we were quick!"

"And lucky," Leo chimed in, tossing the (now) dirty towel aside. "So am I on this quest or what?"

"You named him Festus? Festus means 'happy' in Latin, do you really want to save the world on Happy the Dragon?" Jason asked, a smile on his face. Festus twitched uncomfortably and Livana pet his neck to soothe him.

"Yup! And we should get going. I already picked up some supplies in the-"

"Woods!" Livana finished for him.

"Mhm, and all these people with weapons are scaring him."

"But we haven't planned anything yet," Jason frowned. "We can't just-"

"Go," Annabeth interrupted; she didn't look nervous at all. "You've got three days until the solstice, and you should never keep a dragon waiting." Leo, Livana, Jason, and Piper looked at each other, smiling.

"Ready?" Jason asked Piper.

"You bet," she replied. Leo clapped his hands together then turned to re-mount Festus.

"Hey," he turned to Livana, keeping his voice down. "You okay? You look kinda....sick."

"I'm not feeling that well right now. I think..." She replied.

"Did I interrupt your sleep? Drilling on Festus' wings was pretty noisy."

"Oh, no. It wasn't anything you did. It's like uh...I don't know how to explain it. Like...this feeling in my stomach-"

"Oh shit- are you gonna be sick? I could grab some doggy bags from my belt-"

"No!" Livana laughed. "No, no! It's like a...a nervous feeling." Leo squinted and nodded slowly.

"Well, if you're scared you can hold onto me," he winked. "But seriously, if you feel sick I can pull out some medicine for you." Livana smiled softly at him and nodded.

"Mer- uh thank you," she sighed sheepishly, the now familiar feeling making itself at home in her chest. Leo nodded and ruffled her hair, brushing his knuckles against her warm forehead. She leaned into the last bit of his touch, almost falling off Festus in her daze.

"Ok, looks like we're all set," Jason grinned. "Let's go."

-  
Flying on the dragon was...a new experience. Sure it was awesome being on a dragon, but Livana was extremely nervous. She could just shadow-shift into a bird if she fell, but she'd have to grab some shadows to do that- which she'd have to be quick about because Festus was moving fast. Her arms wrapped around Leo for dear life, which also helped with the freezing air. Livana's body temperature was naturally low, which made cold weather so much worse- she'd shake and shiver, and whenever she'd talk her teeth would chatter. Leo was a natural heater, but cold weather kinda burned the flame out in him. He was still warm but just not as much as usual, leaving Livana to her violent shivering. He planned on giving her his bomber jacket but was unsure because of how much oil had gotten on it. All he could do was hope she'd get used to the weather soon.

"Cool right?" Leo asked, turning around with a grin.

"What if we get spotted?" Piper asked, shifting uncomfortably in her dress.

"The-Th-Th-e-The m-m-mi-st-st," Livana quickly responded, stuttering through her chattering teeth. Her face was whiter than snow, but her nose, cheeks, and lips were rosy red. "It-It-It k-keep-eps m-m-mort-ta-tals f-from s-s-s-seeing m-m-maa-aa-agic! S-So we p-p-probabl-b-bly loo-o-ok li-like a-a p-p-plane!" She immediately buried her face in Leo's back as soon as she finished; Leo laughed.

"Are you sure about that?" Piper asked nervously.

"No," Jason answered, gaining Piper's eyes from his response. "But we're making good time, we'll probably get there tonight."

"Where are we heading?" Piper quizzed him.

"To find the god of the North Wind, and chase some storm spirits." He replied.

-

"Shut up, me." Leo groaned aloud. Livana perked her head up.

"H-H-Huh?" She chattered, caught off-guard by his sudden talking. She was attempting to take a nap to escape her chills but found herself unsuccessful.

"Nothing. Long night, I think I'm hallucinating. It's cool," he shrugged, catching the complete attention of the other passengers. "Kidding, so anyway, what's the plan, Big J? You said something about breaking wind or something?" Leo asked. Livana laughed loudly behind him, before inhaling freezing air and shriveling back up. Leo was impressed with himself for making her laugh the loudest he's heard her do in the three days he knew her. As Festus flew over New England, Jason explained the game plan.

"We're going to find the god Boreas." He said.

"His name is Boreas? What is he, the God of Boring?" Leo cut in, feeling Livana shake against his back from soft laughter. Jason continued explaining the next part, capturing the venti that attacked them yesterday.

"Can we just call them storm spirits? Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks," Leo interrupted again.

"Bluh!" Livana gagged. "I h-h-hate es-esp-presso."

"Alright, but lastly, we have to find out who the storm spirits work for so we can find Hera and free her." Jason sighed.

"So you want us to look for Dylan, the storm dude who hit on Piper, on purpose," Leo began to sum up.

"A-A-An-nd wh-who th-thr-rew L-L-Leo of-ff th-the sk-skyw-wal-k," Livana added with disdain. She wasn't as mad at the time, but now she wanted to throw the spirit into Tartarus.

"That's pretty much it. Well- there may be a wolf involved too but I think she's friendly. She probably won't eat us unless we show weakness." Jason finished. When the three tilted their heads at him, he explained his dream of a big mother wolf and a burned-out house with stone spires growing out of its pool.

"Uh huh. But you don't know where this place is," Leo said, nodding slowly.

"Nope," the blonde admitted.

"And there's the Giants. The Prophecy said the giant's revenge." Piper reminded them.

"Hollup-" Leo chided in. "You said Giants like more than one? Why can't there just be one giant that wants revenge?" He groaned.

"I don't think so," Piper said. "I remember in some of the old Greek stories, there was something about an army of Giants."

"G-G-Guy...G-Gaea a-an-d T-T-Tar-t-taru-us' k-kids!" Livana added.

"Great," Leo started sarcastically. "With our luck, we have an enemy of Tar Tar Sauce and Greta's kids." Livana snorted.

"T-T-Tarta-"

"Hey Piper, didn't you do a bunch of myth research for that movie with your dad?" Leo stopped her.

"Your dad's an actor?" Jason asked her. Leo laughed.

"I keep forgetting you have amnesia. Heh, forgetting about amnesia- that's funny. But yeah, her dad's Tristan McLean," he told him. Livana tried to recall any movies with his name in it, but nothing came up- which bummed her out a lot.

"Uh- sorry but...what movie was he in?" Jason asked.

"It doesn't matter." Piper said quickly. "The Giants, well, there's lots of giants in Greek Mythology. But if I'm thinking of the right ones, they were bad news. Huge, almost impossible to kill. They could throw mountains and stuff. I think they were related to the titans. They rose from the earth after Kronos lost the war-"

"Th-The f-fir-st Tit-Titan W-W-War! Th-There-re w-was on-e l-l-last y-y-year, I-I h-h-heard," Livana corrected her.

"Right, the first one. Thousands of years ago, when they tried to destroy Mount Olympus. If we're talking about the same Giants-"

"Chiron said it was happening again," Jason cut in, remembering what the Centaur told him. "The last chapter. That's what he meant. No wonder he didn't want us to know all the details."

"F-Fun!" Livana said sarcastically. Leo chuckled uncertainly.

"So... now wouldn't be the best time to mention my psycho babysitter then?" He asked.

"Is that another joke?" Piper asked. Leo shook his head and told the group about his creepy babysitter from his childhood; he spoke about how he almost died under 'Tia Callida's' supervision. He skimmed over his mother's death, obviously not wanting to go into details. Livana hugged him a bit tighter for reassurance, which seemed to relax him a bit. Leo finished by explaining a strange woman he'd seen in the earth- seeming to be asleep and knew the future.

"That about sums it up," Leo finished. The air was silent for a while, and Livana pondered upon her childhood- wondering if she had any strange occurrences.

"Everybody says not to trust Hera," Piper spoke up. "Even Annabeth doesn't trust her. She hates demigods- and the Prophecy says that we'd cause death if we unleash her rage! So if that's the case....why are we doing this?"

"She chose us," Jason answered. "All four of us- Leo, Livana, Piper, and I are the first eight from the Great Prophecy. This quest is the beginning of something much bigger." The group remained silent, processing the blonde's words.

After an hour or so, Livana glanced over Leo's shoulder and studied his face. His eyes were droopy- and his hands barely held onto Festus' reigns. His Cheshire Cat smile nearly melted off his face. Livana suppressed a dreamy sigh and nudged his shoulder. The boy drowsily turned to look at her, his chocolate orbs barely visible under his eyelids.

"Y-You..." Livana cleared her throat of the lump that attempted to form. "You should sleep," she spoke gently; her rising body temperature halting her shivers.

"No because if we swerve off the path..." Leo yawned as his body was pulled back into the girl's. She grabbed the reigns from his warm hands, watching him fall asleep quickly.

"Oh mes étoiles... il dort sur moi," Livana whispered to herself breathlessly. Her heartbeat sped up as she watched him breathe shallowly. "J'ai définitivement une sorte de maladie."

-

"Leo," Livana whispered down to the sleeping boy. She wiggled herself slightly to get him moving- he only groaned and kept his eyes closed. "Leo!" She yelled. He snapped his eyes open and turn to check if she was alright.

"Why'd you yell?" Leo frowned after confirming she was safe.

"Good Morning, Repair Boy!" Livana laughed.

"Repair Boy? Oh nawww I need a stupid nickname for you-"

"Nicknames later, reality now," Piper interrupted, making the two pout. She pointed ahead to a giant castle they were quickly approaching.

"Please tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop," Leo said.

"Yeah, Quebec City. And I think that castle is a hotel." Piper informed. Livana tilted her head and studied the castle. As they got closer, they saw it flowing with doormen, valets, and porters taking people's bags for them.

"The North Wind is staying in a Hotel?" Leo started, "that makes no-"

"H-Heads up!" Livana warned the group as two winged figures rose from the castle's tower.

"Storm spirits?" Piper asked. As the creatures got closer, they looked more like two teens- not storm spirits. They were paler than snow and had frosty white hair; purple wings adorned their backs. The two of them held wickedly curved swords. One of them was huge and burly, wearing a hockey jersey and cleats; his face was beat up like he had been hit with a blunt weapon multiple times. The other guy was just ridiculous- he had an 80's mullet and wore pointy leather shoes with expensive looking pants that fit him way too tightly.

"No clearance," grunted the hockey guy- his accent was French and much thicker than Livana's.

"S'cuse me?" Leo asked.

"He means you have no flight plan here," explained the mullet boy. "This is a restricted air space."

"Destroy them?" Hockey guy asked his brother excitedly. Livana pulled away from Leo and quickly made a blade from shadows, Jason following suit with his golden one.

"Hold on!" Leo cried. "Can we at least have some manners here, boys? Don't I have the right to know who has the privilege of killing me?" The mullet boy stroked a non-existent beard.

"I am Cal!" Hollered the hockey guy.

"That's short for Calais," Mullet said. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables."

"Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal grinned proudly.

"Which includes his own name."

"I am Cal! This is Zethes, my brother!" Cal repeated.

"Wow, that was almost three sentences, man! Way to go!" Leo applauded, earning some giggles from Livana.

"Stupid buffoon," Zethes grumbled. "They are mocking you. But no matter- I am Zethes, but the lady here-" he winked at Piper, "can call me anything she likes. Perhaps she would like a dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you?" Livana frowned and held her sword closer to her, a bit upset she wasn't grouped with Piper in being pretty; said girl took notice. "We are very romantic people, us boreads."

"Boreads? Like the son of Boreas?" Jason asked, perking up.

"Ah, so you've heard of us," Zethes grinned. "We are our father's gatekeepers. So, you understand we cannot have unauthorized people flying in this airspace on creaky dragons, scaring the silly mortals." The group looked down and noticed the people beneath them staring up and pointing.

"Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing, we will have to destroy you painfully."

"Wait!" Piper cut in. "This is an emergency landing." She grabbed Livana and gestured her to the Zethes. "My beautiful friend is sickly right now."

"Oh my! We cannot have a beautiful lady such as her getting sick!" Zethes agreed.

"Awwwww!" Cal whined.

"And our dragon is malfunctioning," Leo added. Zethes fingered his invisible facial hair again.

"Well, I would hate to disappoint two sexy ladies- much less have one be sick. And a malfunctioning dragon is an emergency," Zethes sighed, agreeing with the group.

"Destroy them later?" Cal asked his brother.

"It will take some explaining. Father has not been very kind to visitors lately. But...yes. come, faulty dragon peoples; follow us." Jason and Livana put their swords away while Leo turned to them.

"I love these guys! Follow them?"

"Well, I guess. We're here now," Jason agreed.

"I wonder why Boreas hasn't been kind to visitors," Piper muttered.

"Pfffft! He just met us! Festus, after those elves!" Leo said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rlly hope you go look at those photos I made


	5. The Greek God Snow Miser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group meets the god Boreas and his cold daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed up all night to write this I hope u all like it :)

The minute the group landed in the castle, Livana regretted her decision. They stood in a giant penthouse, but the whole thing was covered in ice; from the fancy carpet to the chandelier that hung above their heads. Icicles hung from the ceiling, looking anxious to impale the teens.

Livana was expecting to warm up inside, so she wasn't pleased when she stepped into Elsa's Ice Castle. Getting a new idea, she grabbed some shadows from the objects in the room and swept them over herself; in a second she was in a new, warmer outfit- a black turtle neck with an oversized, purple pullover. She still wore a white tennis skirt, but underneath was a pair of black insulated leggings; she even had a new set of black tennis shoes on. Satisfied with her cozy new look, she rejoined the group.

"Guys, fix the thermostat in here and I just might want to move in," Leo joked.

"Not me," Livana sighed, trying to ignore Zethes' eyes on her. Leo stepped between the two and gave Livana a wink. "Thanks."

"Any time, cool outfit by the way," Leo complimented. Livana smiled and made a scarf for him, wrapping it around his neck; the boy felt blood rush to his face as the soft fabric brushed against his skin. He gave Livana a perky grin and ruffled her raven colored hair, brushing his knuckles on her forehead after. He wondered if this was going to become a signature thing they did, he wouldn't mind if it happened to be.

"No no no!" Zethes said as he marched over to Festus; the poor dragon had frost growing on his scales and was shaking from the cold. Livana frowned and considered making the metal beast a scarf too. "You must deactivate the dragon, we can't have fire in here! The heat messes with my hair." The gross teen puckered his lips at his reflection in the ice.

"The dragon's a bit touchy on the 'deactivation' idea, but here's another one," Leo said, stepping forward and flipping a switch on Festus' leg. The dragon shuddered violently before folding in like origami, in a second he was the size of a carry-on suitcase. Livana's jaw hung off her face.

"Wow..." she spoke breathlessly.

"Ta-da!" Leo grinned. "World's heaviest carry-on."

"Stop!" Zethes yelled, he and Cal pulling out their jagged swords and pointing them at Leo, gazes fixed on him. Livana shook off her awe and shifted forward a bit, ready to fight.

"Um, okay..." Leo had his hands up in surrender. "If it bothers you that much, then I don't have to bring him as a carry on-"

"Who are you?" Zethes demanded, poking Leo with the edge of his sword, making Livana scowl. "A spy, perhaps?"

"What?! No!!" Leo insisted. "Child of Hephaestus, friendly blacksmith. No harm to anyone." Cal inched closer to Leo's face and sniffed.

"Smell fire. Fire is bad," he said.

"Oh..." Leo laughed nervously. Livana recalled the other day at the forges, how Leo didn't want people to know about his power. She unstiffened her posture and stepped forward.

"Zethes," she smiled, digging her nails into her palms. "We're friends here, yes? I'm positive someone as handsome and intelligent as you can have a humane conversation, oui?" She glanced nervously at Leo. "Why don't you put your sword down? Then we can talk."

"Well, I did always have a thing for your type of females," Zethes smirked. Livana kept up her smile, doing her best not to slice him then and there. "And of course you cannot help but be attracted to my amazingness. But sadly, I cannot romance you at this time," he finished, digging the edge of his sword into Leo's chest, causing the boy to flinch. Livana grabbed his arm and gripped it hard.

"Leo is a son of...of Hephaestus- not a threat," she explained. "I'm a daughter of Nyx."

"Piper's a daughter of Aphrodite," Jason stepped in. "And I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful-"

"What did you say? Son of Zeus?" Zethes perked up.

"Yeah, um...that's good right?" Jason asked. Zethes and Cal studied him for a moment, debating on killing him or not. "I mean, my father wouldn't exactly be pleased when he finds out that the two sons of the north wind annihilated his son, right?"

"Well, no...that would certainly not be good," Zethes agreed.

"So... destroy?" Cal asked uncertainly.

"No," Zethes said regretfully. "If this boy is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we've been watching for."

"Watching for?" Leo asked, grateful their swords were off his chest now. "Like in a good way? Like you'll shower him with presents? Or he's in trouble?"

"That's depends on my father's will," a girl's voice spoke. The group turned their gazes to the staircase and the lady that was descending it. She had dark hair and coffee brown eyes that lacked all kindness and warmth- especially towards Leo.

The boy gaped at the pale girl, signaling he thought she was drop-dead gorgeous. Livana studied him and the new person, feeling a twinge of envy. She waved a hand infront of the boy's face, but he was stuck. She frowned and looked away.

"Father will want to see the one called Jason. Zethes, bring in our guests," she called, stepping back up the stairs. Leo grabbed Festus's handle and was ready to lug him up after the 'hot chick' when she turned and stopped him.

"Not you, Leo Valdez," she said.

"Why not?" He whined.

"You cannot be in the presence of my father- fire and ice do not mix well."

"We're going together," Jason said, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Or not at all," Piper added. Livana nodded, glancing at her feet. She didn't feel like adding anything special, not after he was making googly eyes at the other girl. She mentally face palmed- why was she acting so stupid lately?

"He will not be harmed, unless you cause trouble. My brother Calais will stay with him," she glanced at Cal. "Guard, do not kill."

"Just a little?" He whined.

"No. And take care of his interesting suitcase until Father passes judgement." The teens exchanged glances; they knew Leo really wanted to go check out that girl, even with her evil vibe. They needed to talk to Boreas, no other choice but.

"It's okay guys, no point in causing trouble if we don't have to. Go ahead," Leo whispered to the group

"Do you want me to stay? Cal's giving you a strange look," Livana asked.

"Maybe-"

"No, Leo is fine, he's got a fire breathing suitcase," Piper interrupted. Livana sighed and nodded.

"Okay," she pulled away from them.

"Your friend will be completely safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, king Boreas is waiting."

-

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't recognize me," the girl said as the group walked up the stairs. Livana hadn't payed attention to most of the conversation and instead stared at her feet as she walked. "Even in ancient times the Greeks did not know me well- their island homes were too warm. I am Khione, goddess of snow," she spoke, twirling a finger as a mini blizzard wrapped around her hand. Livana rolled her eyes as the goddess showed off.

The group stepped into the room, which was ten times colder than the previous one. A layer of snow covered the floor and frozen mist filled the air. There were ice sculptures lining the edge of the large room; some were dressed modern, other in Greek armor, medieval wear, or camouflage- all posed in attack positions. As Jason walked between two Greek spearmen, they quickly blocked his path by crossing their weapons.

Jason jumped back, startled. Towards the back of the room, a man spoke in French, the statues returning to normal. The three turned towards the voice, Khione smiled at the man. "It's fine, my father has ordered not to kill you yet."

"Super," Livana rolled her eyes, growing impatient. The king- a pale man with a beard full of icicles- watched the group approach him. He wore a suit that looked to be made of snow and a pair of large wings hung at his sides.

"Votre Majesté, je suis Piper McLean. Voici Livana Corbin, fille de Nyx. Et Jason, fils de Zeus," Piper introduced in French. Livana's eyes widened in surprise, not knowing Piper knew her language. The king smiled with pleasure and sat forward in his throne.

"Tu parles français? Très bien!" The king smiled.

"Moi aussi!" Livana grinned, waving her hand. Jason looked between the girls.

"Piper, Livana, you speak French?" He asked.

"Did I not specify my first language when we met?" Livana tilted her head.

"No, why?" Piper frowned.

"You spoke French," the two informed her. Boreas spoke again, Piper answering. Khione cleared her throat.

"He says-"

"He says I'm a daughter of Aphrodite," Piper cut over her. "So naturally I speak French- the so called language of love. I had no idea. His majesty says Khione won't have to translate now." Behind them, Zethes snorted at his sister who in return sent him a murderous look. She took a bow to her father and stiffly stepped back.

"Your Majesty, I'm Jason Grace. Thank you for um, not killing us. May I ask, why does a Greek god speak French?"

"He speaks the language of his host country," Piper answered after talking with the king some more.

"J'ai ordre de te tuer," the king said, making Piper and Livana pale.

"He says..." Livana faltered.

"He says-"

"He says he has orders to kill you," Khione interrupted Piper. The king smiled like he was delivering great news.

"Kill us? Why?!" Jason asked.

"Because," Boreas spoke in a heavy accent. "My lord Aeolus commands it." He stood from his throne and started towards the group. Zethes and Khione bowed as he stopped, the other teens followed in example. "My master would not expect me to kill the son of Lord Zeus....without first hearing him out."

"Aeolus is the god of the winds, yes? Why would he want us dead?" Livana asked.

"You are demigods," Boreas said. "Aeolus' job is to contain the winds, and demigods always give him headaches. The battle with Typhon last summer..." the god waved his hand and a flat screen TV appeared, showing the battle from last year. "His death unleashed another wave of storm spirits, which made Aeolus angry."

"But your majesty," Livana spoke up. "The gods had no choice but to battle Typhon. He was going to destroy Olympus! Why punish demigods for that?"

"Aeolus can't take his anger out on gods," Boreas shrugged. "He wants even with demigods who helped in the war. He issued orders that demigods who come to us for aid are no longer tolerated. We are to crush your little mortal faces."

"That's...extreme," Jason said. "But you're not going to crush us yet, yeah? You have to listen to our quest-"

"Yes, yes," the king agreed. "Aeolus said a son of Zeus will seek my help, and if it happened I should listen to you first as you might 'make all of our lives very interesting'. I am obligated to listen, but after I am free to pass judgment as I see fit."

"Great, thanks," Jason said.

"Do not thank me, there are many ways that you could make our lives more interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods around for amusement, as you can see." The king gestured towards the ice sculptures, who still looked like they were ready for battle.

"You mean they're...real demigods...?" Livana trembled. "They're alive?"

"An interesting question," the king said, raising a hand to his chin. "They don't move unless I command them." Khione stepped up closer to Jason and drew a line down his neck with her cold finger.

"My father gives me such lovely presents," she whispered in his ear. "Join our court, perhaps I'll let your friends go." Livana readied to create a sword, but Jason sent her a look that said he was okay.

"What?" Zethes blurted. "If she gets Jason, then I get the girl," he placed the edge of his sword on Livana's spine. "Khione always gets more presents!" Livana blanked out, staring at nothing and haltering all movements. She knew this feeling all too well, but didn't have any way to stop it; she felt like she was watching herself through a TV, or like her consciousness stood beside her physical body. All she could do was hope Leo would burst in soon to save her.

"Now children," Boreas said sternly. "Our guests will think that you're spoiled! Besides, you moved too fast- we haven't heard their story yet. Please, Jason, entertain us." The blonde didn't say anything. Khione purred and stroked his neck, before a bolt of lighting struck her fingers. She flew back into the floor, skidding on her butt. The air around her swirled into a small blizzard.

"You dare-"

"Stop," Jason commanded. "You're not going to kill us. And you're not gonna keep us either. We're on a quest for the queen of the gods herself, so unless you want Hera busting down your doors, you'll let us go." Khione's blizzard stopped, and Zethes lowered his sword from Livana's back; she continued to dissociate, though.

"Hmm," Boreas thought to himself. "A son of Zeus favored by Hera? This is definitely a first. Tell us your story."

"Your Majesty," Piper spoke up. "All we ask for is guidance. These storm spirits attacked us, and they're working for some evil mistress. If we find them, maybe we can find Hera."

"I know of these storm spirits," Boreas said, stroking his icy beard. "I know where they are kept, and of the prisoner they took."

"The goat man? Hedge?" Livana asked, coming back from her blank headspace. "He's still alive?"

"For now. But the one who controls those spirits...it would be madness to oppose her. You would be better staying here as frozen statues."

"Hera's in trouble," Jason said. "In three days she's going to be...I don't know- consumed, destroyed, something. And a giant is going to rise." Boreas nodded.

"Many horrible things are wakening. My children do not tell me the news they should. The Great stirring of monsters that began with Kronos. Your father, Zeus, foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. The final battle is yet to come, and the one who will wake is more terrible than any Titan. Storm spirits are only the beginning. The Earth has many more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades...Olympus has good reason to fear."

"...so you'll help us?" Jason asked the king.

"I said no such thing," Boreas scowled.

"Please, your Majesty," Piper started. "If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You would look good infront of your boss."

"She's pretty. I mean, she's right," Zethes said.

"Father, don't listen to her," Khione said. "She's a daughter of Aphrodite. She dares to charm-speak a god? Freeze her now!" Boreas considered this, but stopped short.

"What is on your forearm, demigod?" Boreas asked Jason. The blonde shifted his arm so his tattoos were visible to the king. Boreas laughed so loud an icicle fell from the ceiling and crashed into the floor next to his throne. His appearance flickered until he wore a Roman toga lined with purple. His head was crowned with a frosty laurel wreath.

"Aquilon," Jason said.

"You recognize me better in this form, yes? You sure you come from Camp Half Blood?" Jason shifted at the king's statement. "And Hera sent you here...I understand now. Oh, she's playing a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed."

"Does this mean you'll let us go?' Livana asked.

"My dear," the king started, "there is no need for me to kill you. If Hera's plan fails- which I think it will- you will tear each other apart. Aeolus won't have to worry about demigods again."

"I don't suppose you'll explain?" Jason asked him.

"Oh, perish the thought! It's not for me to interfere with Hera's plan. No wonder she took your memory," he said. "I have a good reputation, but it is rare that I play an important role in the affairs of gods. I sit here in my palace, at the edge of civilization, and so rarely get amusements. Why, even that fool Notus, the south wind, gets a spring break. What do I get? A winter festival with naked Québécois rolling around in the snow!"

"I like the winter festival," Zethes smirked.

"My point," Boreas snapped, "is that I now have a chance to be the center. Oh yes, I will let you go on this quest. You will find your spirits in the Windy City, of course. Chicago-"

"Father!" Khione protested.

"If you can capture the winds," Boreas said, ignoring his daughter. "You may be able to gain entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders."

"Sure," Jason agreed. "So Chicago is we where we'll find this lady who's controlling the winds? She's the one who's captured Hera?"

"Ah, those are two separate answers, son of Jupiter. The one who controls the winds, you will find her in Chicago. But she is only a servant- a servant who is very likely to destroy you. If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may to to Aeolus. Only he has knowledge of all the winds on the Earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus. As for who you will meet when you finally find Hera's cage- truly, if I told you that, you would beg me to freeze you."

"Father," Khione spoke up. "You can't simply let them-"

"I can do what I like. I am still the master here, yes?" He said, glaring at his daughter.

"As you wish, Father," Khione sighed.

"Now go, demigods. Before I change my mind. Zethes, escort them out safely." The group bowed and the god of the North Wind dissolved into mist.


	6. Interrupting a Cyclops Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo and Livana rescue Piper and Jason from becoming cyclops food

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! this chapter is huge btw, but here's a warning!!! Plz don't read Livana's dream if u are triggered by SH (self h*rm) and r@p3 ! it skims over it and there isn't much detail but please stay safe! also, it's Livana's birthday!! (December 24th) :) i love her so much and I hope you all are enjoying the story.

As Livana followed Piper and Jason down the stairs, she couldn't help but notice the sixty foot long dragon and his human standing in the middle of the room. Festus was snorting flames all over himself to keep his form from frosting over. The two looked brand-new, Leo's clothes were washed and his hair was greased back back slightly. Livana had to admit- he looked more attractive than usual.

Unfortunately for her, as Khione followed them down the stairs, she noticed Leos eyes following her the entire way down. 

Sheesh, Livana thought. She was mad and jealous, but felt excited to tell him the news about the snow goddess- she wasn't someone to get a crush on. Once the group reached the bottom of the stairs, Livana sprinted right next to Festus, excited to see her favorite dragon. Khione stopped at the bottom step and looked at Piper with malice.

"You may have fooled my father, girl, but you have not fooled me; we are not done. And Jason Grace, I will see you as an ice statue in the throne room soon enough," the goddess said.

"You know, Boreas was right- you are a spoiled kid. See you around, Ice Princess." Khione's eyes flared pure white, and she stormed up the stairs- literally. Halfway up she turned into a blizzard and disappeared.

"Be careful, my sweets," Zethes warned the girls. "She never forgets an insult."

"Bad sister," Cal agreed.

"A few snowflakes is nothing against us." When Livana said that, she realized that Khione could possibly do much worse, but she still knew she could beat her. She turned back to Leo, who looked devastated.

"What happened up there? You made her mad? Is she mad at me to? Guys! That was my prom date!" Livana knit her brows in anger, smiling coldly. There wasn't anything special about that girl, right? Was it because she was a goddess? 

"We'll explain later," Piper said as Livana stared at her shoes.

"Yeah... We'll explain later," Jason agreed.

"Be careful, my dear, " Zethes said. "The winds between here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I'm sorry that you will not be staying- you would make a lovely ice statue, in which I would check my reflection. "

"Thanks, but we'd sooner play hockey with Cal," Piper said.

"Hockey?" Cal's eyes lit up.

"Kidding, and the storms spirits aren't our worst problem, are they?" Piper asked.

"Oh no, something much worse." Zethes answered.

"Can you tell me?" Piper put on a smile- this time the charm didn't work. The purple Wing teens shook their heads. The hanger doors opened into a freezing starry night, which Livana appreciated greatly, and Festus stomped his feet, anxious to fly.

"Ask Aeolus what is worse," Zethes said darkly. "He knows. Good luck." He almost sounded like he cared about what happened to them, when a minute ago he wanted to turn the girls into ice sculptures. Cal patted Leo on the shoulder.

"Don't get destroyed. Next time - hockey, pizza."

"Come on, guys," Jason said. "Let's go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed." Livana climbed back onto Festus, leaning into Leo instinctively. She realized she had to forgive him- why was she even mad in the first place? This illness must be messing with her head.

-

As the glow of Quebec City faded behind them, Livana relaxed- she didn't really like that place. Leo handed the teens some sandwiches from his belt, which Livana thought was pretty cool, but she wasn't hungry. Leo still looked quite a bit upset. "I still can't believe Khione," he said. "She looked so nice."

"Trust me, man," Jason said. "Snow may be pretty, but up close it's cold and nasty. We'll find you a better prom date." Piper chuckled to herself, leaning back into the blonde. Leo didn't look too pleased- and his mood seemed to be affecting Festus; he grumbled and steamed is he flew. So much for calling him Happy the dragon, Livana thought.

The moon rose and the stars turned over head, and Livana looked up to admire them. She studied one of the brightest stars, and a memory shot through her brain- one she had pushed away.

She remembered the pain in her chest, her lungs were scorching and she heaved for more air. Her legs felt like mush but they kept moving, pulling her body forward. She couldn't remember how much time had passed; maybe three hours, maybe a day, maybe a week- she didn't know and didn't care. How long had it been since she was outside? When was the last time she got to run like this?

Part of her was afraid to look back, because maybe he would be there. Him. Him, that's right. Livana squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and picked up her pace. Fear is what kept her going. Fear. Fear. Fear. I am afraid. I am afraid. So many thoughts ran through her head, banging off her skull. It throbbed as she ran, and the thoughts just got louder. For a moment, she compared them to a swarming beehive filled with angry bees, but then she had to stop thinking again. 

Her eyes darted around the sky, searching for that big star she had seen; it had moved again. Livana found it to her left and started running that way, down the New York's bustling sidewalk. Nobody had stopped her yet, or maybe they had but she couldn't have heard them over her raging heartbeat. I mean, it's not everyday you see a teenage girl covered head to toe in blood running down the street.

Livana followed the star as it turned again, leading her out of the city and to a greener place. Her feet tripped up a bit, not used to the feeling of grass. It tickled her, almost. The girl spotted a hill with several trees- the star shining brighter as she got closer. Livana picked up her pace again, straining to run up slope. Tree branches that hung low smacked her face, but it wasn't enough to slow her down. The night sounds got louder, and blood pounded in her head. Through the trees, on the other side, she could see faint light. 

Livana prayed to God, or any god that would hear her. She felt her whole body stop as her toe caught on a tree root, tripping her. Noise finally stopped, and her body gave way. As she tipped over, Livana thought a childish though, that maybe all of her organs stopped working and that she would finally die. But, all that happened was the collision of her head and a rock, knocking her out.

Livana shook her head and squeezed Leo's torso. She looked down to Festus' back, forgetting about the night sky. Currently, she was sitting between Piper and Leo, who was driving. Her eyelids started to get heavy, but she didn't want to sleep after the events of today. She rested her forehead on Leo's upper back. "Hi, "she greeted sleepily into his shirt.

"Hey, " he said back, Livana could practically feel his grin. She fought off her tiredness by attempting to start a conversation.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay. You?" She wanted to ask him if something was wrong, since Erica would always freak out when she would answer their wellness questions with 'okay'. Livana sighed and figured Leo was thinking about Khione.

"I'm not tired, that's for sure," she said as she stifled a yawn. Leo chuckled softly.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked the girl.

"No."

"Why don't you get some sleep. You can lean on my back since Pipes has already claimed Jason." Livana glanced back at said teen. She was asleep, using Jason as a bed- leaned against his front, soundless. Jason was lost in thought, messing with her hair. Livana grinned and rested her face onto Leo again. Part of her screamed, wanting Leo to do that with her. "Cute," she sighed.

Leo chuckled and looked back at Jason and Piper, a devilish smile playing his lips when he turned back to driving. After a minute or two of silence, Livana yawned and wrapped her arms around his waist, finding a comfortable place on his back to rest her head. Leo glanced at her over his shoulder. "Good Night, Liv." 

-

Hey.

Livana stirred in her sleep, taking comfort in her bed sheets. She winced in pain as her tender arm smashed into her chest. Oh, that's right. Livana shifted again, hiding her face into her pillow. 

Wake up.

I don't want to, Livana mentally answered the voice. It most definitely wasn't a voice, more like static and the sound of feet shuffling on a carpet- a sort of wispy sound. Livana understood the sounds of her familiar friend, but ignored it.

You have to.

No I don't, if he comes back and I haven't gotten up then the same thing will happen as any other day I do get up. I don't care what happens anymore, the girl sighed.

He is going to die today.

That sentence woke her up. Livana opened her eyes, being greeted with her friend. Her 'friend' was an outline of a person. It was nothing more than a shadow, yet it sometimes acted like different people. On a few occasions, it called itself 'Nico', other times it was 'dad' or 'mother'. On regular days, it was just nothing- no name or voice, but it still stood around her. "Tu as dis quoi?" Livana spoke aloud. 

He is going to die today, is what I said.

"Quoi? Comment va-t-il mourir?"

I can't say. Just go about you regular day. He will be home at six.

"Qui- Q- who...who is this?" Livana asked, sitting herself up. She payed no mind to the small bits of blood on her sleeve.

It's mother. I can't wait to see how well you do.

The shadow rippled before it vanished, leaving Livana alone. The teen sat up, looking any where but at herself. She dressed in a regular white long sleeve that hung loosely from her body and ordinary jeans. Opening her door and walking down the stairs, she made a mental note of all the cleaning that needed to be done. She figured she would mop and vacuum first, then dust shelves and clean countertops, and finish with the dishes before making dinner. 

Hours passed, and Livana did just that. 

By then it was six at night, the sun was setting over the horizon, leaving a beautiful ray of light to flow in from the window. Livana wished she could go outside again, even if just for a moment. But, the doors were locked with alarms set on them, so she sighed and finished the dishes. Her breath hitched as she heard the front door unlock, opening with a loud creak. "Dinner is being made," Livana called out, grabbing some meats from the fridge.

"Nah, I'm not hungry tonight," he replied to her. Livana shallowed her breathing as she felt him walk by, putting the meats back into the fridge. "The place looks nice."

"I cleaned." Livana replied, keeping her back towards him.

"Did you clean your bathroom today like I asked?"

"N-No I didn't have time."

"Hmmm okay," he sighed. Livana felt sweat form on her forehead, causing her bangs to stick to her skin. Her thoughts began to buzz loudly, feeling his hand on her shoulder. Oh God he's going to do it again. He's doing it again isn't he? Why didn't clean the bathroom? No, No, No not the sink please not the sink. 

Hot water hit her face as her head became submerged in the pool Livana made for soaking tupperware. Her face burned slightly, but she didn't move. her body shut down, refusing to accept what was happening to her. She opened her eyes in the water, staring at a kitchen knife as her lower half became a burning sensation. Her head became nothing but a jumble of increasingly louder noises as she reached for the kitchen knife in the water. I don't want to do this anymore, she thought. 

In mere minutes, the freshly mopped kitchen was covered in a sticky red substance, and the smell of iron replaced the scent of cleaning products. The red liquid dripped off Livana's face and onto the body below her. She felt sick, horrified at what she had done. 

Mother was right.

-

Livana snapped her eyes open, but had to blink because the wind shooting into her eyes dried them out. It took her a second before she realized she was falling through the air and everyone around her was screaming. Festus roared, flapping his wings awkwardly. Livana tried desperately to shadow-shift but she couldn't find a shade to pull quick enough. She looked over to Leo, who was closest to her, and reached out a hand to grab his arm 

"Not cooooooool!" Leo screamed as the group fell. Jason had reached Piper, and wrapped his arms around her. Jason was unable to stop the winds or slow any of them down and they crashed through a metal roof of an old Warehouse. Livana felt a stinging pain on her arm and a warm trickle of blood; she tried to catch her breath as she sat up from the wood she'd landed on. Looking below her, she realized she had landed on Leo, too.

"Ack!! Liv! " Leo groaned. "That's my back! I'm not a sofa!"

"Piper! Piper, where'd you go?" Jason shouted.

"Here..." the voice was barely over a whisper. Livana hopped off Leo's back and helped him stand. Piper was on the metal catwalk of the building, Leo, Jason and Livana were on ground level. Jason climbed up the stairs, and Leo and Livana followed.

"Are you okay - no you're not." The group saw her foot, it was bent at an odd angle and Livana had to look away.

"Thanks for the reassurance," Piper groaned.

"You'll be fine," Jason said, but we could all hear the worry in his voice. "Leo, got any first aid supplies?"

"Yeah - yeah, sure." Leo dug around in this tool belt before pulling out roll of gauze duct tape, which was too big to fit in his pockets.

"How did you –" Piper tried to sit up and winced. "How did you pull that from an empty belt?"

"Magic, " Leo said dramatically. "I haven't figured it out completely, but I can summon pretty much any regular tool out of the pockets, plus some other helpful stuff." Leo reached his hand into a pocket, and pulled out a tiny tin box. "Breath mint? "

"That's great, Leo. Now can you fix her foot?"

A small hurt look flashed across Leo's face, but it disappeared before Jason or Piper could notice. Livana saw it, though, and frowned at he others. "If she was a car, yes. Wait - what is that godly stuff called, the healing stuff they feed you at camp – Rambo Food? "

"Ambrosia, dummy," Piper said through gritted teeth. "There should be some in my bag, if it isn't all squished." Jason carefully pulled her bag off her shoulders and reached in after unzipping it. He pulled out a Ziploc full of smashed pastry squares like lemon bars. He broke off a piece and fed it to Piper.

"I think I should try to set your foot," Jason said.

"Have you done it before?"

"Yeah... I think so." Leo found an old piece of wood and broke it in half over his knee for a splint., then he got the gauze and duct tape ready. "Hold her leg still. Piper, this is going to hurt, "Jason said. Livana held Piper's left hand and Leo held her leg still as Jason got ready. Then crack!

"Ow!" Piper and Leo yelled; Piper had flinched so bad that she punched Leo in the arm.

"jeez, beauty queen!" Leo rubbed his arm. "Glad my face wasn't there."

"Sorry," She said. "And don't call me beauty queen or I'll punch you again."

"You guys did great." Jason handed Piper her water canteen. 

"Where are we?" Piper asked.

"Dehoit. Er...Detroit? I think, yeah Detroit," Livana answered.

"How..." Jason started.

"I remember someone saying that Detroit has many closed car factories. I think this is one," She said and pointed toward the logo of the company that was still painting on the wall. The stenciled words were barely decipherable under the giant graffiti eye, but you could make out the Monocle Motors: Assembly Plant one.

"How far is that from Chicago?" Piper asked

"About three-fourths of the way from Quebec. The thing is, without the dragon we're stuck traveling over land, "Jason said.

"No way. It isn't safe," Leo said, suddenly remembering Festus. He stood up and looked around for an exit, Livana helping in doing the same.

"Leo's right. Besides, I don't know if I can walk. And three people, Jason you can't fly that many people across country by yourself," Piper said.

"Nope," Jason admitted. "Leo, are you sure that the dragon didn't malfunction? I mean, Festus is old, and –"

"And I might not have prepared him right?" Leo asked, suddenly defensive. Livana placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"I didn't say that," Jason protested. "It's just – maybe you can just fix it."

"I don't know," Leo sounded crestfallen. He pulled a few screws out of his pocket and started fiddling with them. "I have to find where he landed, if he's even in one piece." 

"It's my fault," Piper said.

"Piper, you were asleep when Festus fell. It couldn't have been your fault," Levana said, trying to help the group resettle.

"Yeah, you just shaken up," Leo agreed- he didn't even try to make a joke her expense. "You're Just in pain. Just rest." The group stayed quiet, and a heavy gloom hung in the air. Livana decided to say something to cheer them up.

"Leo let's go look for Festus, I can help you with that." Leo nodded and stood up straight, putting the screws back in his pockets.

"Jason, um, why don't you stay with her, bro? Livana and I will scout for Festus. I think he fell outside the warehouse somewhere. If I can find him, maybe I can find out what happened and fixed him, "Leo said.

"It's too dangerous, who knows what's out there," Jason said.

"I've got Livana, duck tape and breath mints, I'll be fine," Leo said quickly. he grabbed a flashlight from his belt and headed down the stairs. Livana followed him, leaving Piper and Jason alone. When they reach the bottom of the metal steps, Leo headed to the old wooden door on the side of the barge building; since this place was abandoned years ago, he had a bit of trouble pushing it open, but with the two teens giving a hard push from their shoulders, it did just that.

What they saw outside was just sad.

It was late at night, so it was hard to see, but with Leo's flashlight and Livana's night vision, they saw too much. There was garbage everywhere, toilets, parts of floorboards, cracked flower pots, anything you would see in a dump. There were small trails that lead through the large piles. "I'll search overhead," Livana suggested, and Leo nodded without looking at her. She looked around the piles for the tallest one, eventually found it to her right. She shifted into a bird and flew to the top of the pile before changing back.

When she landed at the top, she gripped her arm from pain; she'd forgotten about her cuts reopening. She looked to the sky to distract herself ad couldn't help but stare at the stars; she saw the big and Little Dipper, and she saw the Leo constellation. She smiled, then remembered that she had brought along a Leo with her. She glanced down, searching for the skinny boy and saw him about forty yards away, searching pile after pile for a sixty foot long dragon made of celestial bronze. 

Livana couldn't help but wonder what was really bothering him- well there were dozens of things that she could list that might be upsetting him, but they all fit, so she couldn't tell exactly what. She sighed and continue to concentrate on what she was doing; she shifted into a crow, and started flying in circles around the large dump.

There were dozens of piles, each around the same size as the last. It took her about sixty minutes before she found Festus in a large crater - right on top of a bunch of porta-potties. All of the big, blue smelly boxes had been completely flattened under the metal dragon, but Festus seemed fine. She turned in the air and flew back to Leo; the boy had been going in circles pretty much the entire time, lost in thought. Livana dove down and shifted into her regular self, rolling mid way and landing on her feet.

"Nice dramatic entrance," Leo complimented jokingly. Livana Laughed softly.

"Thanks, I found Festus. He's in a crater over there," She pointed in the direction she'd come. The two jogged over to Festus' crash site and sat at the dragon's side. They checked over it, and once Leo made sure that he wasn't dead and that he had all of his limbs and parts intact, he started to get a bit annoyed. 

"Not my fault that you fell. You're making me look bad," He muttered, opening the control panel on a dragon's head. "Oh what the fuck, Festus... " 

"What happened?" Livana asked. She was next to Leo, because she didn't want to get in the way so she couldn't see what the boy saw.

"All of his wiring is frozen over. The ice is causing the wiring to overload and char the control disc, but I don't see any reason on why that would happen. It should be too hot for it to form in him, so I don't know. He's old, yeah, but it doesn't make sense." Leo clenched his teeth. "Right, give me a nylon bristle detailed brush, some nitrile gloves, and maybe a can of that aerosol cleaning solvent."

"Me? Or-" Livana stopped when Leo pulled the listed items from his belt. "Oh good, I had no idea what you were saying." Leo laughed with her. "Does that thing have limits?"

"Yeah... it cant give anything magical, like yours or Jason's weapons, nothing too big, like a chainsaw. I tried asking for both," he said. Livana chuckled. "But anything simple you might find lying around in a workshop, all I have to do is ask." Then a though puzzled Livana.

"Then why does it give you breath mints? You can't use those to oil a car, right? " Livana asked. Leo stopped working on Festus' brain for a second.

"That's a good question. I have no idea how to answer it." For once, Leo Valdez was speechless.

"Do you need me to do anything? I feel unhelpful right now," Livana said.

"Me to," he mumbled, not meaning for her to hear what he had said. "Yeah, you could go check on Jason and Piper. Make sure that they aren't smooching on mission." He smirked. Livana laughed. "What will you say if they are?" He asked, smiling as he worked.

"What's the term? 'Get a room'?"

"Good enough. Leo approves," He said. Livana laughed again before jogging off to the warehouse. Once she got in, she looked up to the big cat walk and saw that Piper and Jason went there. The only evidence of anybody being on it was Piper's bag and a piece of metal that look like somebody had squished it with their hands like it was Play-Doh. Being smart enough to not make any notices in the situation like this, Livana hid behind an old cargo crate. She glanced over to the top and looked for Piper and Jason – or anybody else that would be out there. Her blood froze when she heard a loud crash – like to dump truck slamming into each other. It was off to the right, so she slowly shifted her head over to see, so she didn't get a good look at the thing.

"Leo, help!" Piper's voice rang out through the large, dark warehouse, but Livana held her tongue. She heard a small shift a few feet behind her, causing her to whip her head around- she expected to see a gorgon, but instead saw Leo. He shot her confused glance, but Livana stayed still.

If Piper was in trouble, she would probably call for Jason first, seeing as how he should have been the closest person to her, and him being her 'boyfriend' and all. Plus, he was a son of Zeus, so not much should be able to catch him off guard. Plus, Jason would never leave Piper alone, right? "Leo ?" Piper's voice called, more uncertainly this time. Leo was about to answer, but Livana quickly rolled over to him and clasped her hand around his mouth, slamming him back against the crate. She kept eye contact with him, silently having conversation with the scrawny boy.

Stay still, Livana's eyes told him. Don't speak.

Why? His eyes asked back.

Just wait.

"Leo! Help me! Help- bah, there's nobody out there. No demigod could be that quiet, eh?" Piper's voice turned into a deep masculine snarl. Livana became overwhelmed; her hands shook a little bit. I knew it.

She removed her hand from Leo's mouth and whispered, "Cyclopses." They were two inches apart, so he heard her fairly well.

The first monster chuckled. "Probably ran away, if he knows what's best for him. Let's get cooking." Over the lid of the crate, a bright red light burst - an emergency flare - which temporarily blinded the teens. Livana had to rub out of her eyes- when they stop stinging, she looked over to the top of the crate and nearly gasped aloud.

Cocooned in chains from their feet to their necks, were Piper and Jason, hanging from a crane arm. Piper was struggling against her chains and was gagged, but at least she was alive- Jason didn't look as great as Piper; He hung limply, his eyes rolled up in his head. A welt the size of a hockey puck was swarming over his left eyebrow. Monocle Motors, the single red eye logo. Livana finally understood.

Jason's welt wasn't the scariest thing over there, though. Three masses figures stood around the fire. "Can I take off her gag now? I like to hear them scream." a cyclops asked. Livana heard a deep grunt, and watched as Piper's loincloth was taken off her mouth- she didn't scream. Instead, she took a shaky breath like she was trying to calm herself down. Livana was taken from her thoughts when Leo nudged her shoulder. "What now?" Leo mouthed. The girl pursed her lips and closed her eyes. She felt a tug in her gut- a feeling she often got when using her powers- and used the shadows to search the whole room. When she opened her eyes, an imaginary lightbulb went off in her brain.

"Okay, I have an idea."

-

"Torque, stoke the fire! And Sump, you idiot, my case of salsa is in the other warehouse. Don't tell me you expect me to eat those demigods without salsa!!" Ma Gasket, the female cyclops bellowed.

"Yes, Ma," Sump said. "I mean, no ma. I mean – "

"Go get it!" Ma Gasket picked up a nearby truck and smashed it over stumps head, and Sump crumpled to his knees. Livana was sure that a hit like that would kill him, but Sump lifted the truck over his head easily and ran to get Ma's salsa. Okay, maybe he got hit by trucks a lot. Livana looked over at Leo, who was chewing his lip with concentration as he rewired the second machine. She saw a tiny spark fly from Leo's work and he quickly and quietly stood up and darted over to Livana and the second machine. Ma Gasket didn't see Leo run over, but Piper did; her expression turned from horror to disbelief, and she gasped.

"What's the matter, girl? So fragile I finally broke you?" Ma asked. Thankfully, Piper was a quick thinker.

"I think it's my ribs, ma'am. If I'm busted inside, I'll taste terrible." Ma Gasket bellowed with laughter.

"The Last Hero we ate - remember him, Torque? Son of Mercury, wasn't he? "

"Yes, Ma," Torque said. "Tasty. Little bit stringy."

"He tried to trick like that. He was on a medication- but he tasted fine!"

"Tasted like mutton," Torque recalled. "Purple shirt. Spoke in Latin. Yes, a bit stringy, but good." Next to Livana, Leo's fingers froze. She could tell that he and Piper were thinking the same thing as her.

"Purple shirt? Latin?" Piper asked.

"Good eating. Point is, girl, we are not as dumb as people think! We are not falling for those stupid tricks and riddles, not us northern cyclops." Livana nudged Leo to keep working, and his fingers started moving again after a second hesitation.

"Oh, I have heard of Northern Cyclopes!" Piper stalled. At this rate, Piper and Jason were going to die.

"Leo, we are running out of time," Livana said Leo waved her off with a flick of his hand. 

"It would go faster if there were two of me," He said quietly.

"I'll buy you some time, just keep working," Livana patted his shoulder and vanished into the darkness.

Piper continued stalling. "Aren't cyclopes good?" she asked. "I thought you made weapons for the gods."

"Ha! I am very good- Good at eating people. Good at smashing. And good at building, yes, but not for the gods. Our cousins, the Elder cyclopes do this, yes. Thinking that they are so high-and-mighty because they are a few thousand years older. Then there's our Southern cousins, living on islands and tending to sheep. Morons! But we hyperborean cyclops's, the northern Clan, the best weapons, armor, chariots. The war was too quick. Titans lost. No good! No need for Cyclops weapons. "

"Oh, no," Piper sympathized. "I'm sure you made enough amazing weapons. "

"Squeaky Hammer!" Torque grinned as he picked up a large pole with an accordion looking metal box at the end. He slammed it against the floor and the cement cracked, but there was also the sound of the world's largest rubber ducky getting stomped. 

"Terrifying," Piper started, "can I see it, maybe I felt you could just free my head's -" 

Torque stepped forward eagerly, but Ma Gasket said, "Stupid! She is tricking you again. Enough talk! Slay the boy first before he dies on his own. I like my meat fresh," Wires sparked in Leo's hands, alerting the cyclopes. They froze and turned in Leo's direction. Then Torque picked up a truck and checked it him. It vanished in the darkness just above Leo's head. Then, out from the shadows behind Ma Gasket, the truck reappeared, slamming into her. She grunted and turned, spotting Livana. "Torque, you pathetic excuse for a cyclops, get her!" Torque barreled towards the girl, and she quickly dashed behind a crate, trying to get into position for Leo. Torque was 50 feet away- 20 feet. Then the first crane arm wired to life. A three ton, yellow metal claw slammed into Torque's back as Livana jumped from him, and slammed him into the ground. Before the Cyclops could recover, the cane picked him up from the leg and hurled him straight up. 

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Torque rocketed into the dark Gloom of the rafters above; he didn't come back down. They heard a clang, letting them know that he had hit a supporting girder, and all that returned to them was a yellow pile of monster dust- Torque had disintegrated. Ma Gasket stared at Leo and Livana in shock, "My son... You... You- " as if On cue, Sump lumbered Into the Fire Light with a case of salsa. 

"Ma, I got the extra spicy -" he never got to finish his sentence, and the second robotic arm whacked sump in the chest. The salsa exploded like a piñata and Sump flew backward, right into the base of Leo's third machine. Sump may have been immune to getting hit with the trucks, but he wasn't immune to robotic arms that could deliver 10,000 pounds of force. The machines crane arm slammed against the floor so hard, Sump exploded into dust like a broken flour sack. Two cyclopes down. 

"See that?" Livana pointed to an engine suspended in the air by metal wires. Leo looked up them. 

"Yeah. What about them?"

"You need to use your fire on the cables so it will crush the Cyclops."

"Wait, my fire? You sure?" Livana nodded and took off around the side of the warehouse, trying to go around Ma Gasket. She grabbed the nearest crane and ripped it off its pedestal with a savage roar. 

"You busted my boy! Only I get to bust my boy!" Leo punched a button, and the two remaining cranes swung into action. Ma caught the first one and ripped it in two, the other arm smacked her in the head, but that only seemed to make her mad. She grabbed it and swung it like a baseball bat - missing Piper and Jason by an inch - then Ma Gasket let it go, spinning towards Leo. He rolled over before it could impale him. "Any more tricks, demigod ?" Ma Gasket demanded. From the other side of the fire, Livana pointed to the engine block suspended by metal cords over Ma Gasket's head, giving Leo the leverage that he needed. Leo glanced up to where Livana pointed, then to Ma Gasket. 

"Hell yeah, I got Tricks!" Leo raised his remote control. "One more step, I'll destroy you with fire!" He shouted. Ma Gasket laughed.

"Would you? Cyclops are immune to fire, you idiot. But if you wish to play with fire, let me help!" She scooped up red hot coals with her bare hands and flung them at Leo. They all landed around his feet.

"You missed, " he said incredulously. Ma Gasket grinned and picked up a barrel next to the truck- it read kerosene. Livana gasped and sprinted over to Leo, thinking he couldn't handle that much fire power.

"No!" Piper screamed as Ma Gasket threw the barrel next to Leo. A firestorm erupted around him, blowing Livana down into the darkness again. The kerosene burned off, dying down to small fiery patches on the floor. Piper gasped. "Leo?" Ma Gasket look astonished. 

"You live?" She took an extra step forward, which was right where Leo wanted her. 

"The son of Hephaestus," Leo said. "And I warned you I would destroy with fire." Leo pointed his hand at the wires and shot a beam of hot hot flames at it, but nothing happened. Ma Gasket laughed again.

"Unimpressive try, son of Hephaestus. Really it has been many centuries since I've seen a fire user. You will make a spicy appetizer!" The chain snapped - that single link heated Beyond its tolerance Point – and the engine block fell, deadly and silent.

"I don't think so," Leo said. Ma Gasket didn't even have time to look up- smash! She got crushed. "Not immune to engines, huh? Boo-yah!" He hurried over to Piper and Jason, freeing them from the chains and lowering the unconscious Jason down. Piper trickled some nectar into his mouth; his welt swelled down as the color came back to his face. "Yeah he's got a nice thick skull, he'll be okay."

"Thank god," Piper sighed. Then she looked at Leo strangely. "How did you.. did you always..."

"Always," Leo said, looking down. "I'm a freak. I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner but-"

"Sorry?" Piper punched his arm, earning a confused look from Leo. "That was amazing, Valdez! You saved our lives, what are you sorry about?" Leo blinked and began to smile, till he saw something by Piper's foot.

"They're reforming."

"What?" Piper looked at the monster dust, watching it wiggle and pull together slowly. "That's impossible..."

"We have five minutes, I'd say. Come on, lets bounce," Leo stood up and stopped. "Wait, where's Livana?"

"Livana?" Piper called out. "We have to go!"

"Livana?" Leo jumped down and looked for the pale girl. She curled up at the base of a crate, clutching her face and trembling. "Hey, you okay?" He asked, getting closer to her.

"Please don't look at me!" The girl cried.

"What? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Liv, we gotta go, come on, look at me," Leo begged, putting a hand on her shoulder. Livana stood slowly, staggering about. The front of her clothes were charred, and what looked like burn marks covered her hands. "Liv! Holy shit!"

"Don't look! I have to heal myself!" The girl cried, shakily grabbing some shadows. Leo grabbed her and picked her up, running towards the exit with Piper and (a now conscious) Jason.


	7. Livana Didn't Know About Puppy Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang chase storm spirits into a sewer and Leo makes tacos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUYSSSSS im so happy to be back. sorry this chapter took so fucking long, ive been hella busy with school but i *promise* i am finishing this story, no matter how long it takes. ALSO i got my HOO books so this chapter is all written by me while referencing the book. I hope you can notice the difference in writing styles lol. also, this chapter is based off a song, so i recommend listening to it when you read the part

Livana felt nothing but shame- what was she thinking running to Leo like that? She knew he could use fire and be resistant to it, but it never crossed her mind that he'd be completely fire proof. The girl did her best to suppress the burning sensation that continued to spread across her face and hands, the light of the moon washing over her and healing the burnt skin. She could feel some extra power, though, like someone- some god or goddess- was helping her.

Livana grazed her skin with her finger tips, still looking down; she could feel her flamed skin growing tingly, then shrinking into scars- what usually was the last stage when she healed her wounds, yet it continued to heal past scarring and fade into her regular skin. Infront of her, Leo turned around after making sure Festus could fly on his own.

"Okay, let me see," he said. Livana shook her head. "Liv, I need to see how bad you're hurt so I can help you. I'm so sorry I hurt you..."

"It's my fault..." the girl whispered. "I knew you had that ability, but I never thought you might be resistant. I ran to you, I messed it up."

Leo grabbed her hands gently and sat a bit closer. "Please, just let me see how bad it is," the boy pleaded softly. Livana frowned and pulled her hands away slowly. The skin above her right eyebrow was still pretty burnt, but it didn't look so bad now. Other parts of her face we're slowly scarring up while the rest had returned back to skin. Her hands were their same soft selves again. Leo stared in awe. "You really did heal it....that's amazing."

"It's different then how it usually is..." Livana looked away, watching the clouds pass by them at high speeds. Leo brought his hands up higher, grazing his fingertips over her skin. He pulled them away when the girl flinched, guilt washing over him like a tidal wave.

"Sorry...is this okay?" Leo asked. Livana's lips trembled slightly, her eyes welling with tears that made them look like glass. She quickly leaned into him, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she silently wept. The boy wrapped his arms around her and looked down in shame. He moved his hand in circles across her lower back, careful not to scare her. "I didn't mean to hurt you," he whispered.

"It's not your fault," Livana whimpered. Leo shook his head.

"It was my power."

"I'm the one who didn't think."

"Please don't argue," Leo sighed. "I caused it, okay?" He lowered his voice and continued to say, "I've done this before, too."

Silence passed between the teens.

"But-"

"Maybe just..." Leo faltered for a moment. "Maybe just don't stick too close to me, okay?" Livana sat still for a moment, her tears running dry now. "I care for you a lot, but I don't want you hurt again."

"Okay," the girl whispered. Leo pulled away from her and ruffled her hair, brushing his knuckles against her forehead after. Livana looked away rather than lean into the last but of his touch.

"You look like you healed just fine," Leo smiled slightly at her. Livana nodded to him and scooted back. The boy turned around and gripped Festus' reigns, the scarf Livana gave him flapping in the wind.

Livana stayed still, feeling the wind on her face. It's still cold, she thought, wrapping her arms around himself. Leo said not to get close, but he wouldn't... Livana slowly leaned forward into the boy. I can do this, right? She placed her front against him and rested her face on his back. "Is this okay?" She mumbled. Leo sighed and shifted his weight evenly so Livana could position more comfortably.

"Yeah," he smiled back at her- though his grin didn't reach his eyes.

Forgive me, Livana wanted to say; instead she closed her eyes and did her best to ignore the tears falling down her cheeks.

-

"Cyclops!" Jason yelled, bolting upright. He was only conscious enough to drag himself to the dragon earlier, after he passed out again.

"Woah, sleepyhead!" Piper said, sitting behind the blonde to keep him balanced on Festus.

"Detroit," Jason said breathlessly. "Didn't we crash?"

"It's okay," Leo said. "We got away, but you got yourself a nasty concussion. How ya feeling?"

"How did you....the Cyclops-"

"Leo ripped them apart," Piper said. "He was amazing. Leo can summon fire-"

"It was nothing," Leo said quickly.

"Shut up, Valdez," Piper laughed. She continued on to explain how Leo rigged the machines, freed her and Jason while the Cyclops started to reform, and how Ma Gasket mentioned a kid in a purple shirt that spoke Latin.

"I'm not alone then," Jason said. "There's others like me."

"You were never alone, Jason. You've got us," Piper smiled.

"I-I know, but...something Hera said. I was having a dream...." the blonde explained what he had seen.

"An exchange?" Piper asked. "What does that mean?"

"Hera's gamble is me. Just by sending me to Camp Half Blood, I have a feeling that she broke some kind of rule, something that could blow up in a big way-"

"Or save us," Piper said hopefully. "That bit about the sleeping enemy- that sounded like the lady that Leo told us about."

The lady that killed his mother, Livana thought to herself. Leo cleared his throat.

"About that... she kind of appeared to me back in Detroit, in a pool of Porta-Potty sludge," he spoke. The rest of the group grimaced in disgust.

"Did you say Porta-Potty?" Jason asked him, unsure if he heard him correctly.

Leo told them about the big face in the factory yard. "I don't know if she's completely unkillable," he said, "but she can't be defeated by toilet seats. I can vouch for that. She wanted me to betray you guys, and I was like, 'pfft, no shawty bae, I'm not gonna listen to a face in shit sludge.'"

"She's trying to divide us." Piper slipped her arms from Jason's waist.

As if sensing her tension, the blonde asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just... why are they toying with us? Who is this lady and how is she connected to Enceladus?"

"Enceladus?" Jason cocked his head to the side.

"I mean..." Piper's voice quavered. "That's one of the giants. Just one of the names I could remember." Livana knit her eyebrows together. Piper was acting strange.

Leo scratched his head. "Well, I dunno about Enchiladas-"

"Enceladus," Piper corrected. Livana rolled her eyes. Let the boy tell a joke for once.

"Whatever. But Old Potty Face mentioned another name. Porpoise Fear, or something?"

"Porphyrion?" Piper asked. "He was the giant king, I think."

"I'm gonna take a wild guess," Jason said. "In the old stories, Porphyrion kidnapped Hera. That was the first shot in the war between the giants and gods."

"I think so," Piper agreed. "But those myths are really garbled and conflicted. It's almost like nobody wanted that story to survive. I just remember there was a war, and the giants were almost impossible to kill."

"Heroes and gods had to work together," Jason said. "That's what Hera told me."

"Kind of hard to do," Leo grumbled, "if the gods won't even talk to us."

They flew west, and everyone became lost in thoughts- all of them bad. Festus dove through a break in the clouds, and below them, glittering in the winter sun, was a city at the edge of a massive lake. A crescent of skyscrapers lined the shore. Behind them, stretching out to the west horizon, was a vast grid of snow-covered neighborhoods and roads.

"Chicago," Jason said.

"One problem down," Leo said. "We got here alive. Now, how do we find the storm spirits?" Livana saw a flash of movement below them. For a moment, she thought it to be a bird, but it was too fast. The thing spiraled toward the skyscrapers, weaving and changing shape- and, just for a moment it became a smoky figure of a horse.

"Let's follow that one," Livana suggested, "and see where it goes?" The rest looked a bit surprised that the girl finally piped up in conversation, but quickly refocused on the spirit. Leo nodded and dipped Festus down more, picking up pace to race the monster.

"Speed up!" Jason urged, fearing they'd lose their target.

"Bruh," Leo said, "if I get any closer, he'll spot us. Bronze dragon ain't exactly a stealth plane."

"Slow down!" Piper yelled.

The storm spirit dove into the grid of downtown streets. Festus tried to follow, but his wingspan was way too wide. His left wing clipped the edge of a building, slicing off a stone gargoyle before Leo pulled up.

"Get above the buildings," Jason suggested. "We'll track him from there."

"You want to drive this thing?" Leo grumbled, but he did what the boy asked.

After a few minutes, Jason spotted the storm spirit again, zipping through the streets with no apparent purpose- blowing over pedestrians, ruffling flags, making cars swerve.

Livana peeked to another building. "There's two now."

She was right. A second ventus blasted around the corner of the Renaissance Hotel and linked up with the first. They wove together in a chaotic dance, shooting to the top of a skyscraper, bending a radio tower, and diving back down towards the street.

"Those guys do not need any more caffeine," Leo said, earning a chuckle from Livana.

"I guess Chicago's a good place to hang out," Livana said. "Nobody's going to question a couple more evil winds."

"More than a couple," Jason said. "Look."

Festus circled over a wide Avenue next to a lake-side park. Storm spirits were converging- at least a dozen of them, whirling around a big public art installation.

"Which one do you think is Dylan?" Leo asked. "I wanna throw something at him."

Livana focused on the art installation, taking in each detail. It was a public fountain, two five-story monoliths rose from either end of a long granite pool. The monoliths seemed to be built of video screens, flashing the combined image of a giant face that spewed water into the pool.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it looked like a high-tech, super-size version of the pool Jason described in his dream. As Livana watched, the image on the screens changed to a woman's face with closed eyes.

"Leo..." she said nervously.

"I see her," Leo said. "I don't like her, but I see her."

Then the screens went dark. The storm spirits swirled together into a single funnel cloud and skittered across the fountain, kicking up a waterspout almost as high as the monoliths. They got to its center, popped off a drain cover, and disappeared underground.

"Did they just go down a drain?" Piper asked. "How are we supposed to follow them?"

"Maybe we shouldn't," Leo said. "That fountain thing is giving me seriously bad vibes. And aren't we supposed to, like, beware the Earth?"

"This is our only way forward. We have to find Hera, and we only have two days now," Livana said.

"Put us down in that park," Jason suggested. "We'll check it out on foot."

-

Festus landed in an open are between the lake and the skyline. The signs said Grant Park, and Livana imagined it would have been a nice place in the summer; but now it was a field of ice, snow, and salted walkways. The dragon's hot metal feet hissed as they touched down. Festus flapped his wings unhappily and shot fire into the sky, thankfully nobody was around to notice. The wind coming off the lake was bitter cold. Anyone with sense would be inside. Livana's eyes stung so badly, she could barely see.

They dismounted, and Festus stomped his feet. One of his ruby eyes flickered, so it looked like he was blinking.

"Is that normal?" Jason asked.

Leo pulled a rubber mallet from his tool belt. He whacked the dragon's bad eye, and the light went back to normal. "Yes," Leo said. "Festus can't hang around here in the middle of the park, though. They'll arrest him for loitering." Livana knew that was another clever joke but she didn't know what the word 'loitering' meant. "Maybe if I had a dog whistle..."

He rummaged in his tool belt, but came up with nothing.

"Too specialized?" he guessed. "Okay, give me a safety whistle. They got that in lots of machine shops."

This time, Leo pulled out a big plastic orange whistle. "Coach Hedge would be jealous! Okay, Festus. Listen." Leo blew the whistle. The shrill sound probably rolled all the way across Lake Michigan. "You hear that, come find me, okay? Until then, you fly wherever you want. Just try not to barbeque any pedestrians."

The dragon snorted- hopefully in agreement. Then he spread his wings and launched into the air.

Piper took one step and winced. "Ah!"

"Your ankle?" Jason felt bad he'd forgotten about her injury back in the Cyclops factory. "That nectar we gave you might be wearing off."

"It's fine." She shivered and took a few more steps with only a slight limp, but they could all tell she was trying not to grimace.

"Let's get out of the wind," Livana suggested, wrapping her arms around herself for some more warmth.

"Down a drain?" Piper shuddered. "Sounds cozy." Livana clicked her tongue and headed toward the fountain. Leo walked faster and caught up with her, giving her a grin from the side.

"Hi," Livana smiled softly. The boy nodded in response.

"Ya cold?" He asked. Livana squinted slightly and looked at the boy's clothes. He wore his usual outfit but had recent adorned his army fatigue again. He still had his scarf wrapped around his neck, but it was loose and definitely not helping him keep warm.

Livana huffed and started walking backwards infront of him, looping his scarf in half around his neck and pulling it through. "There!" She grinned.

"Aha! Thanks, I never really knew how to tie a scarf," Leo grinned. Livana was about to turn around before something on Leo's shirt caught her eye; going down the small, brown buttons on his shirt, the fourth one was completely lose. The threads were frayed and on the verge of tearing any second. Livana squinted and touched it gently.

"Do you pick at the buttons on your shirt?" She asked. Leo glanced to the side and rubbed his neck.

"Sometimes," he admitted with a short laugh. "I'm ADHD, I gotta touch and pick with everything my hands come into contact with."

"Be careful with it," Livana sighed, furrowing her brows slightly. "I'll fix it when we get back. I used to tailleuse all the time!" The girl smiled with pride, remembering a few of her handiworks. "I was pretty good."

"Tailleuse? You mean like sew?" Leo asked.

"That's the word?"

"Depends on what you meant. Did you make stuff or fix it?"

"Fix it. Like buttons, holes or tears, and sizing."

"Tailor. You tailored it," Leo grinned. "But you sewed the buttons and holes." The boy quickly snaked a hand to the small of Livana's back, grabbing her hand and doing a charming dip. Her eyes widened as he pulled her back up.

"What?" She asked. Leo pointed behind her.

"You were about to trip into the fountain, so I- like the gentleman I am- stopped you," he winked. Livana laughed softly and turned; Leo was right, the fountain was maybe a foot away from her.

"Ah, merci beaucoup." Livana flustered upon realizing she spoke French. "Sor-"

"Eres muy bienvenida," Leo gave her his signature grin and bowed, taking her hand in his. The girl laughed, her warm breath puffing out in the cold air. The beginning of her laughs were always crisp, like she started with a 'K' sound. Leo stared at her in awe as the others caught up.

According to the plaque, it was called Crown Fountain. All the water had emptied out except for a few patches that were starting to freeze. It didn't seem right to Livana that the fountain would have water in the winter anyway. Then again, those big monitors had flashed the face of their mysterious enemy Dirt Woman. Nothing about this place was right.

They stepped to the center of the pool. No spirits tried to stop them. The giant monitor walls stayed dark. The drain hole was easily big enough for a person, and a maintenance ladder led down into the gloom.

Jason went first, then Piper, then Livana, and Leo last. As Livana went down, she braced herself for the horrible sewer smells, but it wasn't that bad. The ladder dropped into a brickwork tunnel running north to south. The air was warm and dry, with only a trickle of water on the floor.

"Are all sewers this nice?" Piper wondered.

"No," Leo said. "Trust me."

Jason frowned. "How do you know-"

"Hey, man, I ran away six times. I've slept in some weird places, okay?" Leo said defensively. Livana frowned and scooted closer to him, giving the boy a look of assurance. Leo sighed and smiled slightly at her. "Now which way do we go?"

Jason tilted his head, listening, then pointed south. "That way."

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.

"There's a draft blowing south," Jason said. "Maybe the venti went with the flow."

It wasn't much of a lead, but nobody offered anything better. Unfortunately, as soon as they started walking, Piper stumbled. Jason had to catch her.

"Stupid fucking ankle," she cursed.

"Let's rest," Jason decided. "We could all use it. We've been going nonstop for a day. Leo, can you pull any food from that tool belt besides breath mints?"

"Thought you'd never ask. Chef Leo is on it!" The boy did a goofy pose. Livana laughed softly. Piper and Jason walked off together. The two started to talk in low voices. "Look at the love birds."

"Huh?" Livana tilted her head. "Oh, Jason and Piper?"

"Mhm," Leo nodded. "They obviously got some puppy love goin on." He leaned over and lit a small cooking fire, Livana's eyes seemed to dance. She had a curious look in them, and the mauve hue in her irises held deep emotions.

"Puppy....love?" She asked. Leo hummed as he pulled supplies out of his pack and tool belt.

"Yeah, puppy love. You don't know that term?" He frowned, setting a pan over the fire. Livana sat on a stool made of shadows, a comfortable distance from the fire. She hugged her knees to her chest and thought for a moment.

"No...no I can't say I do," Livana said, furrowing her brows. "Love for puppies?" Leo laughed and shook his head.

"No, but I'm sure they love puppies," he said. "Puppy love is like a crush I guess. Kinda weird to explain."

"I see..." Livana said. Admittedly, she didn't know what a crush meant, but she was already beginning to feel annoying so she stopped asking questions. Leo pulled out two packs of tofu and peeled them open, turning back to Livana and showing her with a grin.

"Ya like tofu?" He asked. Livana's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Yes! My Papa used to make it all the time. He had a dislike for certain ah...textures? Yeah, textures. He didn't like how most meat was so he used tofu a lot!" She explained. Leo gave her his signature grin and started cooking the tofu. He added in some spices and seasoning, filling the sewer with a delicious smell.

Livana couldn't help but stare at him. Even if she wanted to look away, she couldn't pull her eyes from him. Something about Leo just drew her in like that. It wasn't bad, though. She wasn't disassociating, just studying every detail of him.

His curly hair was a greasy wreck, but Livana wanted to play with it; she thought about twisting his curls with her thin fingers. She looked at his pointy ears which stuck through his hair. She wanted to reach forward and play with them, or run her nails gently behind them.

"Stare any longer and you'll burn holes into my back," Leo spoke, breaking their silence.

"Hm?" Livana was pulled out of her trance. She blinked a few times before shifting in her seat.

"I can feel you staring," he said. Livana flushed and looked somewhere else. "Its cool. You can't help it, I'm just so attractive. A lady like you can't help but stare!"

"Psh!" Livana started to laugh. The 'K' sound echoed through the sewer, and Leo thought it sounded like music. He turned toward her and motioned for her sit with him.

"Come on, you wanna help me cook?" Leo asked. Livana separated her knees from her chest and sat forward. She stared at the fire with deep contemplation. "I promise the fire wont hurt you. I won't let it," Leo promised with a grin. The girl exhaled and stood up, sitting next to him by the fire.

It didn't burn, and after a couple seconds, it started to comfort her.

"See?" Leo smiled. "You're okay!" Livana smiled back and nodded. "Okay, keep stirring the tofu, I'll add in some extra stuff in-between," the boy explained. Livana nodded and took the wooden spoon from him, gently stirring what was in the pan.

The smell was somehow familiar, and yet completely new to her at the same time. It reminded her of home, in France, when her dad used to cook tofu-rice bowls. It reminded her of the holidays she'd had there, so long ago; the huge Asian dinners he'd make on her birthdays. But the new scents from the spices and peppers Leo was throwing in now reminded her of...right now. Her new friends, this quest, Camp Half-Blood, Leo, and her new comfort in the warmth of fire. Livana smiled softly while she stared down at the pan.

She stirred in the sizzling bell peppers and Leo whistled. "Yeah, baby! Almost there," he said. Livana giggled and leaned into him. He tensed for a moment, then smiled and gave her a small side hug. He turned and picked up 4 plates, putting some lightly toasted corn tortillas on them, then placed a handful of chips on the side. "You want salsa?" He asked, pulling out a spoon and a jar of red salsa.

"Uhm, I've never had it before. What is it like?" Livana asked. Leo sarcastically made a face of shock.

"You've never had salsa? You've been living under a rock!" He joked, popping open the lid of the salsa jar. He picked up a chip and scooped a bit of salsa on it. "Here, try it. If you don't like it you can spit it out."

"Okay," Livana agreed sheepishly. She brushed her hair behind her ears and leaned forward, taking a bite of the chip. She pulled back and put a hand infront of her mouth as she chewed.

"Whaddya think?" Leo asked, excitement plastered on his face. Livana swallowed and sat for a moment.

"It's...different. But I actually liked it," she said. Leo fist-pumped and put a few scoops of salsa onto her plate, then filled her tortillas with the tofu.

"Voila!" He grinned, making a goofy pose. "Bon Appetit." He placed the plate in her hands and fixed the other's plates for then. Livana stared at her food, suddenly overwhelmed with a fluttery feeling in her stomach. Her face felt hot as her mind jumbled from thought to thought. "And bingo!" Leo announced. He got up and walked over to the other teens, handing them their plates.

Livana shook off her feeling and got up, following Leo.

"Leo," Piper said in amazement. "How did you-?"

"Chef Leo's Taco Garage is fixing you up! And Livana helped!" He said proudly. "And by the way, it's tofu, not beef, beauty queen, so don't freak. Just dig in!" Livana smiled and ate her plate of food. Before she knew it, her dish was clean of tacos, chips, and her scoops of salsa. She couldn't remember the last time she ate a full meal and finished it. Livana felt proud of herself, a smile on her face.

These days, she found herself to be doing that a lot. Only a few months ago did she truly believe she'd never smile again.

As the rest ate, Leo tried to lighten the mood and joke around. Livana laughed and teased Leo. She was grateful Leo was in their group, but she wished it could just be the two of them. She chided herself for feeling that way.

After Piper ate, Jason encouraged her to get some sleep. Without another word, she curled up and put her head in his lap. In two seconds she was snoring. Jason looked at Leo, who was obviously trying not to laugh. Livana gently hit his arm, trying to him him to be quiet, but she was also holding back some laughter.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking lemonade Leo had made from canteen water and powdered mix. It was different from Livana's usual Monster drink she'd have at this hour, so it made her kind of drowsy.

"Good, huh?" Leo grinned.

"Where'd you learn to cook?" Livana asked. Leo shrugged.

"Picked it up as a kid, use to do it with my mom." His voice faltered a bit when he mentioned his mom, but only Livana seemed to notice. She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"You should start a stand," Jason said. "Make some serious coin." Slang, Livana noted to herself. Jason seemed to get uncomfortable as he stared at the embers of the fire. "Leo...about this fire stuff you can do...is it true?"

Leo's smile faltered. "Yeah, well..." He opened his hand and a small flame burst to life, dancing across his palm. Livana's eyes sparked as she watched the heat twist with passion.

"That's so cool," Jason said. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Leo closed his hand and the fire went out. "Didn't want to look like a freak."

"I have lightning and wind powers," Jason reminded him. "Piper can turn beautiful and charm people into giving her BMWs. Livana can control any sort of darkness and make bombs of light. I'm not even sure what else she can do yet."

"Me neither," Livana joked. The boys smiled and chuckled.

"You're no more a freak than we are. And, hey, maybe you can fly, too. Like jump off a building and yell, 'Flame on!'"

The teens snorted. "If I did that, you would see a flaming kid falling to his death, and I would be yelling something a little stronger than 'Flame on!'" Leo said. "Trust me, Hephaestus cabin doesn't see fire powers as cool. Nyssa told me they're super rare. When a demigod like me comes around, bad things happen. Really bad."

"Maybe it's the other way around," Livana suggested. "Maybe people with special gifts show up when bad things are happening because that's when they're needed most."

Leo cleared away the plates. "Maybe. But I'm telling you...it's not always a gift."

The others fell silent. "You're talking about your mom, aren't you?" Livana wanted to smack Jason. "The night she died."

Leo didn't answer. He didn't have to. The fact that he was quiet, not joking around- that told Jason enough.

"Leo, her death wasn't your fault," Livana assured him. "Whatever happened that night- it wasn't because you could summon fire. This Dirt Woman, whoever she is, has been trying to ruin you for years, mess up your confidence, take away everything you care about. She's trying to make you feel like a failure. You're not. You're important."

"That's what she said." Leo looked up, his eyes full of pain. "She said I was meant to do something important- something that would make or break that big Prophecy about the eight demigods. That's what scares me. I don't know if I'm up to it."

The group sat in silence for a while, Jason deep in thought as Leo poked the remnants of the fire, turning over red-hot coals with his bare hands. Livana bit her lip before shooting forward and wrapping Leo in a deep embrace. Leo's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly hugged the girl back. They sat comfortably like that for a few minutes, neither showing any want for pulling away.

"You ever wonder about the other four demigods? I mean... if we're four of the ones from the Great Prophecy, who are the others? Where are they?" Leo asked in a hushed tone.

Livana thought about it, but she tried to push it out of her mind. She had a horrible suspicion Leo would play the most important part of the demigods, and she would be of no use.

"I don't know," Jason said after a while. "I guess the other four will show up when the time is right. Who knows? Maybe they're on some other quest right now."

Leo grunted. "I bet their sewer is nicer than ours."

The draft picked up, blowing toward the south end of the tunnel.

"Get some rest, guys," Jason said. "I'll take the first watch." Livana hesitantly pulled away from Leo and quickly made a blanket for Jason and Piper. She walked away and sat at a wall, glancing at Leo; he still looked dejected. An idea popped into Livana's head.

"Leo," she called. The boy turned to her and smiled halfheartedly. "Come sit with me," Livana offered. Leo quickly walked over and sat against the wall with the girl.

"Whatcha need?" He asked.

"I wanna cheer you up, but I'm not really good with words. So I got another idea," she mumbled, pulling a small, purple rectangle from her pocket. Leo squinted at it in the dim light. "Annabeth says things like cellphones are easily tracked by monsters. But Nico gifted ne this last month. It's magic so it doesn't use signal," she explained, pulling out a pair of earbuds.

"Oh so it's an iPod?" Leo asked, scooting closer to her.

"Mhm!" Livana plugged in the earbuds and pulled up a playlist. She put one earbud in her right ear, and gave the left one to Leo, who sat on her right. "Admittedly, I don't know what some of the words mean, but I like these songs."

Leo watched her scroll through her saved songs, noticing most of the songs were by the same three artists. "Are these your favorite musicians?" He asked Livana nodded.

"I don't know what music you like, but, hopefully you like this?" Leo put in his earbud as she selected a song. 

Louise - TV Girl [French Exit]

3:14

Leo watched Livana close her eyes and sigh, listening to the opening of the song. It was a woman talking- either in French or with a French accent. The song picked up with a beautiful, yet spunky melody. Leo felt himself relaxing into the brick wall.

Louise, she just wasn't thinking  
When she climbed into his bed  
She only wanted to lie beside him  
To hell with his best friend

Livana hummed softly with the song, but whenever she thought Leo heard her, she would go quiet again. Leo smiled and hummed with the song as best he could, trying to encourage her.

She woke him up and she whispered  
But the answer wasn't good:  
"Whatever made you think I would ever love you  
Even if I could?"

The teens sang the last lyric together quietly, Leo guessing the rhyme.

Louise  
You can't be anybody's friend  
Louise  
I'll love you 'til I'm dead  
Louise  
Not even if she likes the way you dance  
Louise never heard about puppy love  
'Cause they don't know that term in France

Livana sang each echoed 'Louise' in a soft, beautiful voice that echoed through the sewers. Leo thought it was ironic how, just an hour earlier, they had a conversation about puppy love. He laughed softly to himself, understanding why she didn't know then.

She came from across the country  
Just to stare into her phone  
She came to the same apartment  
She only wanted to be left alone

Livana leaned her head against Leo shoulders and smiled, bringing her knees to her chest. She tapped her fingers on her thigh like she was playing a piano.

And she could catch anybody's attention  
But it never won her friends  
Love could kick you out on the streets  
But it'd never pay your rent

Leo felt a blush creep to his face, and he begged himself not to burst into flames. He leaned his head on Livana's, breathing in the scent of her hair; it smelled like a field of ten thousand flowers, despite it being a bit dirty.

Louise  
You can't be anybody's friend  
Louise  
I'll love you til I'm dead  
Louise  
Not even if she likes the way you dance  
Louise never heard about puppy love  
'Cause they don't know that term in France

Leo pulled her closer as the song came to an end. The instruments strummed as the French woman talked again. The beat picked up right before the music faded to a cut. Livana smiled and opened her eyes.

"Did you like it?" She asked. Leo stayed quiet, continuing to lean against her. "Hey, Leo."

"Huh? Oh!" Leo flushed. "Sorry, haha. What'd you ask?"

Livana stared at him for a moment. A smile slowly crept onto her face until she was grinning ear to ear. "Nothing, I think I know my answer now," she said. Livana make a large blanket for them and pulled it over their laps. They probably didn't need it, considering Leo was a living heater, but there's no harm in being extra comfy.

As Livana finished tucking them in, Leo reached over and ruffled her hair, brushing his knuckles against her forehead after. Livana leaned into his touch and smiled up at him.

Instead of ruffling his hair, she pulled his face down gently and kissed his cheek.

"Bonne nuit," Livana whispered. Leo grinned at her, heat rising to his face.

"Buenas noches," he replied. Livana waved a hand over his face, and immediately the boy was asleep, snoring softly. Livana smiled, leaning against him and drifting to sleep after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope u enjoyeddddd. also im throwing u guys 4 a loop on their relationship lol. TRUST ME its not one of those lame fic where they get 2gethr immediately, im not like that. however, their relationship will be very on and off with crushing. I wanna hurt u guys :) and last bit, i made a playlist for leo and livana! its on Spotify, the art cover is by me! if you like my art, consider following my Instagram @vampieyr where i have a highlight with all my art . here's the link to the playlist now, and if it doesn't work you can just look up "leoliv propaganda" on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/playlist/24TEa3dxxFQIMuOHFWKy38?si=MlxeluQgS02np5bPiyq3Cw u can copy n paste it 2 yr browser n it should come up. this is a collection of songs they like, songs that fit their relationship, songs that inspire me for certain parts of the story so SPOILERS if u can figure it out ;)


	8. The Princess of Macy's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group encounters a princess, who isn't who she pretends to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIII OMG THIS CHAPTER TOOK FOR FUCKING EVER I HOPE U GUYS LIKE ITTTTT. also, its a piper and liv bonding chapterrrrrrr so i rlly hope u enjoy. this chapter is my longest yet teehee.  
> yes, i did change the story title

Livana's eyes fluttered open. It took her a few moments to realize where she was. She was about to raise her arms and stretch, when she remembered there was someone asleep next to her.

Leo had slumped down the wall and was leaning against Livana's waist. His neck looked craned in an uncomfortable position, but he seemed content. His breathing was shallow, but every minute or so he would let out a long sigh. Livana swore she could see steam whenever he did. He had a peaceful expression on his face- no goofy smile or mischievous gleam in his eye. His elfish features stopped looking so ridiculous, they made him look like an ethereal, magic elf you'd see in a movie.

Though, he still had a smudge of grease on his left cheek. Livana chuckled to herself. A breeze ran through the tunnel, but Livana didn't feel cold. Leo's warmth kept her comfortable. She sighed happily and repositioned Leo, hopefully easing his neck. He mumbled something in his sleep and reached his hand to his shirt. His fingers started playing with his loose button. Livana sighed and stood up, instantly feeling colder.

She stretched and popped a few of her joints, feeling much better after. Her slim fingers ran through her hair, checking for any knots. Part way through, her digits found a large clump of hair. Livana sighed, upset thought it was to be expected. She reached her hand out into the darkness, feeling it extend into a small riff of shadows. When she pulled it back, her hand gripped a wooden brush with thick bristles.

Livana quickly brushed the knot out of her hair, feeling tears well into her eyes from pain. Once her brush ran through her hair smoothly, she pulled away and sighed. "Ugh," she groaned. "Je devrais apprendre à l'attacher."

"Veux-tu que je t'apprenne?" A voice asked. Livana jumped and turned, seeing Piper standing a few feet away from her. She looked tired, and her hair was messed up. A toothbrush hung from her mouth while toothpaste foamed on the corners. She looked gorgeous. "Je peux te tresser les cheveux, si tu veux. Ou je peux simplement l'attacher," she offered.

"Si ce n'est pas trop demander," Livana smiled slightly. Piper shook her head and spit into the stream running through the sewer, rinsing the rest of her mouth and toothbrush with water. She put it into a clear plastic bag before shoving it into her backpack by her feet. "Avez-vous besoin d'un élastique?"

"Non," Piper answered, holding up one of her wrists. She had atleast seven different hair ties, each different colors, size, and textures. "J'aime les collectionner et les porter."

"Bizarre," Livana laughed softly. Piper rolled her eyes with a grin, grabbing the brush from her hands. "Your French is perfect," she complimented.

"Thanks," Piper sighed, grabbing a white band and holding it between her teeth. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I mean, my mom's a romance goddess which means I'm perfectly fluent in French. I lived fifteen years of my life without knowing my mom or that I know the entirety of a different language." She sighed. "It's crazy."

"I know how you feel," Livana sighed as Piper brushed her hair back. She felt her hair uncover her face, causing her to grow a bit nervous. It was out of her comfort zone, but Livana had to ask herself 'why?'. Why did she always feel the need to keep her face hidden behind her dark hair? She felt like she'd done it since she was little, but she had no memory of why. Livana furrowed her brows.

Piper chuckled. "Us in the never knowing our moms!" She joked. Livana laughed as Piper's fingers weaved through her hair perfectly. "You have really nice hair."

"Really?" Livana asked.

"Mhm. It's has the potential to make all the other Aphrodite kids jealous," Piper explained. "It's straight, but because it's not too thick it could probably hold shape easily. The ends are pretty dead though, so you'd have to cut it first. About four inches so it's perfect. If you brush it when it's wet and wear it braided to bed, maybe oil it once a week, you'll look even prettier than you do now."

Livana blushed and looked to her shoes. "You seem to know a lot."

"I didn't even understand the words coming from my mouth," Piper shivered in disgust. "It was like I got possessed by a beauty spirit," she joked. Livana snickered.

"Well I might take its advice," she said. Piper tied off the braid and studied it.

"Okay, it's perfect. Can you get a mirror or something?" Piper asked. Livana quickly handed her a mirror from shadows. Piper held it infront of the girl. "This good? I gave you a French braid."

"Oh..." Livana studied herself in the mirror. She expected something bad for some reason. The last time she looked in a mirror, she was as pale as a ghost, with heavy dark circles. Her eyes looked dull, and her face was thin. Her hair looked dead and fell over her face.

But, she didn't see that now. She had some color on her skin, and when she squinted she saw a light splatter of freckles. Her dark circles were lighter and her face was filled out a bit more. Her eyes had a glitter to them again. Piper had done a great job on her hair, it was braided perfectly but small pieces stuck out and curled around her face. It made her look more innocent, in a way.

"So...? What do you think?" Piper asked.

"Yeah...yes I-I love it!" Livana smiled, a blush creeping across her cheeks. "Was I always this pretty?" Piper shrugged.

"I never knew you till earlier this week, but I think you were pretty then, too." Livana took the mirror from her and dissipated it back into shadows.

"Thank you Piper, seriously," Livana said. The girl nodded in response.

"Jason and I are ready to go whenever you guys are," Piper said. She looked behind Livana and smirked. "Looks like Valdez is finally up." Livana whipped around to look if the boy really was awake, but he was already staring at Livana.

"Oh, good morning Leo!" Livana greeted. "Do you need help packing up camp?" Leo laughed nervously and brushed his hair back.

"I'm good! You just sit back and keep looking pretty," Leo said with a wink. Livana flushed slightly and nodded, picking the rest of her stuff up.

Finally, they broke camp and started down the tunnel.

It twisted and turned and seemed to go on forever. Livana wasn't sure what to expect at the end- a dungeon, a mad scientist's lab, or maybe a sewer reservoir where all Porta-Potty sludge ends up, forming an evil toilet face large enough to swallow the world.

Instead, they found polished steel elevator doors, each one engraved with a cursive letter M. Next to the elevator was a directory, like for a department store.

"M for Macy's?" Piper guessed. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."

"Or Monocle Motors still?" Leo said. "Guys, read the directory. It's messed up."

Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance- Sewer Level

Furnishings and Café M - 1

Women's Fashion and Magical Appliances - 2

Men's Wear and Weaponry - 3

Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons & Sundries - 4

"Kennels for what?" Piper asked.

"Don't kennels make popcorn?" Livana asked. Leo shook his head.

"Kernels do, Kennels are like cages for animals," Leo explained. Livana nodded slowly in understanding.

"What kid of department store has its entrance in a sewer?" Piper continued asking.

"Or sells poisons," Leo said. Livana furrowed her brows in anxiety. "Man, what does 'sundries' even mean? Is that like underwear?"

Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top." He pressed a button with an upward arrow and a quiet ding! sounded. The metal doors slid open and the group walked into the small elevator.

"Did you guys ever used to jump in an elevator and feel it shake as kids? Man it was so fun!" Leo grinned like an idiot.

"That can break an elevator, stupid!" Piper said, crossing her arms. "Do you want us to drop down several floors and get stuck?"

"What? You scared?" Leo teased and jumped. The elevator shook slightly.

"Leo!" Piper groaned. "We're lucky you're such a featherweight."

"Whaaat?" Leo huffed. "I'm the strongest man alive, you just can't tell because I'm not flexing. I could break this elevator if I wanted!" He jumped again, this time a bit harder. "And if it did break, I could fix it right up."

"Whatever, but we don't have time for that. Also you scared Livana," Piper said. Leo turned to look at the girl and saw how paled her face was.

"These break?!" Livana asked worriedly. Leo laughed, feeling pretty guilty.

"Yeah but it's super rare, trust me it never happens! I was just making a joke," Leo said. He rubbed her shoulder gently, watching her relax slowly.

The doors slid open on the fourth floor, and the scent of perfume wafted into the elevator. Jason stepped out first, sword ready.

"Guys," he said. "You've got to see this."

Piper joined him and caught her breath. "This is not Macy's."

The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different colors. The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so they could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered so brightly, they were hard to look at.

"Oh mes étoiles..." Livana said in awe. Aside from the stain glass ceiling and the elevator, Livana didn't see any other windows or doors, but two sets of glass escalators ran between the levels. The carpeting was a riot of oriental patterns and colors, and the racks of merchandise were just as bizarre. There was too much to take in at once, but Livana saw normal stuff like shirt racks and shoe trees mixed in with armored manikins, beds of nails, and fur coats that seemed to be moving.

Leo stepped to the railing and looked down. "Check it out."

In the middle of the atrium a fountain sprayed water twenty feet into the air, changing color from red to yellow to blue. The pool glittered with gold coins, and on either side of the fountain stood a gilded cage- like an oversize canary cage.

Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirled, and lightning flashed. Somebody had imprisoned the storm spirits, and the cage shuddered as they tried to get out. In the other, frozen like a statue, was a short, buff satyr, holding a tree-branch club.

"Coach Hedge!" Piper said. "We've got to get down there."

A voice said, "May I help you find something?"

All four of them jumped back.

A woman had just appeared in front of them. She wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, and she looked like a retired fashion model- maybe fifty years old, though it was hard for Livana to judge. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that surreal super model way- thin and haughty and cold, not human. With her long red-painted nails, her fingers looked more like talons.

She smiled. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"

Leo, Piper, and Livana looked at Jason like, all yours.

"Um," Jason started, "is this your store?"

The woman nodded. "I found it abandoned, you know. I understand so many stores are, these days. I decided it would make the perfect place. I love collecting tasteful objects, helping people, and offering quality goods at a reasonable price. So this seemed a good... how do you say... first acquisition in this country."

She spoke with a pleasing accent, but Livana couldn't guess from where. She felt herself relaxing, which she found odd. Quickly shaking it off, she looked to Jason. His face looked dazed and content.

"So you're new to America?" Livana asked, trying to work herself up. This place gave her a bad vibe, and she had a suspicion that relaxing wouldn't be good.

"I am...new," the woman agreed. "I am the princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?" Piper poked Jason in the ribs.

"Jason..." she said.

"Um, right. Actually, Your Highness..." he pointed to the gilded cage on the first floor. "That's our friend down there, Gleeson Hedge. The satyr. Could we... have him back, please?"

"Of course!" the princess agreed immediately. "I would love to show you my inventory. First, may I know your names?" Livana furrowed her brows and looked to Leo.

'We shouldn't, right?' she silently asked him. Leo's face mimicked Jason's; he looked perfectly relaxed. The boy offered a shrug in response. Livana groaned internally, figuring maybe she should talk for now.

Right as she was about to give the woman fake names, Jason spoke.

"This is Piper," he said. "This is Leo, Livana, and I'm Jason."

The princess fixed her eyes on him and, just for a moment, her face literally glowed, blazing with so much anger, Livana could see her skull beneath her skin. But just as fast as it happened, it disappeared and left a smiling maniac.

"Jason. What an interesting name," she said, her eyes as cold as the Chicago wind. "I think we'll have to make a special deal for you. Come, children. Let's go shopping."

Livana wanted to run for the elevator. Something was definitely wrong, and she was sure a fight was coming. The way the lady's face glowed when she'd heard Jason's name had been bad enough. Now Her Highness was smiling like nothing had happened, and Jason and Leo didn't seem to think anything was wrong.

The girls exchanged nervous glances as the princess gestured toward the cosmetics counter. "Shall we start with the potions?"

"Cool," Jason said.

"Guys," Piper interrupted, "we're here to get the storm spirits and Coach Hedge. If this princess is really our friend-"

"Oh, I'm better than a friend, my dear," Her Highness said. "I'm a saleswoman." Her diamonds sparkled, and her eyes glittered like a snake's- cold and dark. "Don't worry, we'll work our way to the first floor, eh?"

Leo nodded eagerly. "Sure, yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Livana?"

"What? No!" Livana's brows furrowed deeply. She stepped forward and grabbed Leo's face, sandwiching it between her hands. The boy didn't even react. Livana looked back to Piper, and the two came to an understanding; Jason and Leo were being charm spoken.

"Of course it's okay." Her Highness put her hands on Leo's and Jason's shoulders and steered them toward the cosmetics. "Come along, boys."

Livana and Piper didn't have much choice except to follow.

"And here," the princess said, "is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere."

The counter was crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. Lining the display shelves were crystal flasks- some shaped like swans or honey bear dispensers. The liquids inside were every color, from glowing white to polka-dotted. And the smells- ugh! Some were pleasant, like fresh-baked cookies or roses, but they were mixed with scents like burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers. Livana became nauseous and started breathing through her mouth.

The princess pointed to a blood-red vial- a simple test tube with a cork stopper. "This one will heal any disease."

"Even cancer?" Leo asked. "Leprosy? Hangnails?"

"Any disease, sweet boy. And this vial," she pointed to a swan-shaped container with blue liquid inside, "will kill you very painfully."

"Awesome," Leo said. His voice sounded dazed and sleepy.

"Leo," Livana said. "We have a task to do. Remember?" Leo's eyes flashed for a moment, but nothing happened after.

"Sure. But shopping first, okay?" He replied. Livana felt her stomach drop and her heartbeat start racing. She clenched her fists.

The princess continued to explain her vast storage of potions. "We have some for resisting fire-"

"Got that covered," Leo said.

"Indeed?" The princess studied Leo's face more closely. "You don't appear to be wearing my trademark sunscreen... but no matter. We have potions that cause blindness, insanity, sleep, or-"

"Wait." Piper was still staring at the red vial. "Could that potion cure memory loss?"

The princess narrowed her eyes. "Possibly. Yes. Quite possibly. Why, my dear? Have you forgotten something important?"

Livana tried to keep her expression neutral, but if that vial could cure Jason's memory...

Piper was busy in deep thought, contemplating the vial. After a long minute, she spoke.

"How much?" Piper asked.

The princess got a faraway look in her eyes. Livana's heart nearly pounded out of her chest. It quickly became uncomfortable to her. "Well now... the price is always tricky. I love helping people. Honestly, I do. And I always keep my bargains, but sometimes people try to cheat me." Her gaze drifted to Jason. "Once, for instance, I met a handsome young man who wanted a treasure from my father's kingdom. We made a bargain, and I promised to help him steal it."

"From your own dad?" Jason still looked half in a trance, but the idea seemed to bother him.

"Oh, don't worry," the princess said. "I demanded a high price. The young man had to take me away with him. He was quite good-looking, dashing, strong..." She looked at Piper. "I'm sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help him."

Livana glanced to Piper, who had a rose tinge to her face. She still looked so calm, though. Livana found the princess's story disturbingly familiar. Pieces of old myths Annabeth had taught her...but this couldn't be the woman she thought of.

"At any rate," Her Highness continued, "my hero had to do many impossible tasks, and I'm not bragging when I say he couldn't have done them without me. I betrayed my own family to win the hero his prize. And still he cheated me of my payment."

"Cheated?" Jason frowned, as if trying to remember something important.

"That's messed up," Leo said.

Her highness patted his cheek affectionately. Livana felt her core grow cold. "I'm sure you don't need to worry, Leo. You seem honest. You would always pay a fair price, wouldn't you?"

Leo nodded. "What were we buying again? I'll take two."

"No, Leo!" Livana scolded him. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from Her Highness. "You need to listen to us! We need to get Coach Hedge!"

"Calm down, Livana," Leo grinned tiredly. "We'll get to it! You have anxiety, huh? Take a chill pill! Your Highness, do you have something for Livana to relax?" Leo asked the princess, who was already fetching a small vial. The liquid inside was a sickly yellow that bubbled slightly.

"Of course, my dear! This will be perfect for you." The princess handed the small bottle to Livana, who held a bitterness for Leo at the moment. "This will cure your anxiety immediately. It's a sample, so free of charge."

Piper broke in: "So, the vial, Your Highness- how much?"

The princess assessed Piper's clothes, her face, her posture, as if putting a price tag on one slightly used demigod.

"Would you give anything for it, my dear?" The princess asked. "I sense that you would."

Piper grit her teeth and shook her head. "No, I wont pay any price. But a fair price, maybe. After that, we need to leave. Right, guys?"

Livana nodded, but the boys looked just as confused.

"Leave?" Jason said.

"You mean... after shopping?" Leo asked.

The girls wanted to scream, but the princess tilted her head.

"Impressive," she said. "Not many people could resist my suggestions. Are you a child of Aphrodite, my dear? Ah, yes- I should have seen it. No matter. Perhaps we should shop a while longer before you decide what to buy, eh?"

"But the vial-"

"Now, boys." She turned to Jason and Leo. Her voice was so much more powerful than Piper's, so full of confidence, Piper didn't stand a chance. "Would you like to see more?"

"Sure," Jason said.

"Okay," Leo said.

"Excellent," the princess said. "You'll need all the help you can get if you're to make it to the Bay Area." Livana watched Piper's hand move to her dagger.

"The Bay Area?" Piper asked. "Why the Bay area?"

The princess smiled. "Well, that's where they'll die, isn't it?" Livana's gut dropped as she lead the boys toward the escalators. What did she mean by that? They'll all die? Or was it just the boys? Either way, the thought of her friends dying terrified Livana. Her whole body shook with anxiety, and she struggled to look over at Piper.

She cornered the Princess as Jason and Leo went off to check out the living fur coats. "You want them shopping for their deaths?" Piper demanded.

"Mmm." The Princess blew dust off a display case of swords. "I'm a seer, my dear. I know your little secret. But we don't have to dwell on that, do we? The boys are having so much fun."

What secret? Livana thought to herself. She was pricked out of her thoughts when Leo laughed. He was trying on a hat that seemed to be made from enchanted raccoon fur. It's ringed tail twitched, and its little legs wiggled frantically as Leo walked. Jason was ogling the men's sportswear. Boys interested in shopping for clothes? A definite sign they were under a spell.

Piper glared at the princess. "Who are you?"

"I told you, my dear. I am the Princess of Colchis."

"Where's Colchis?"

The princess's expression turned a little sad. "Where was Colchis, you mean. My father ruled the far shores of the Black Sea, as far to the east as a Greek ship could sail in those days but Colchis is no more- lost eons ago."

"Eons?" Livana asked shakily. The princess looked no more than fifty, but a bad feeling started settling over the girls- something King Boreas had mentioned back in Quebec. "How old are you?"

The princess laughed. "A lady should avoid asking or answering that question. Let's just say the, ah, immigration process to enter your country took quite a while." Livana had the feeling she wasn't an actual immigrant like her. "My patron finally bought me through. She made all this possible." The princess swept her hand around the department store.

"Your patron..." the girls mumbled in unison, scooting closer to each other. Livana's mouth tasted like metal as she realized.

"Oh, yes. She doesn't bring just anyone through, mind you- only those who have special talents, such as me. And really, she insists on so little- a store entrance that must be underground so she can, ah, monitor my clientele; and a favor now and then. In exchange for a new life? Really, it was the best bargain I'd made in centuries."

Run. You have to get out of there.

Livana stiffened, recognizing the voice. Before she could act on it, Jason called, "Hey, check it out!"

From a rack labeled 'DISTRESSED CLOTHING', he held up a purple T-shirt like the one he'd worn on the school field trip- except this shirt looked as if it had been clawed by tigers.

Jason frowned. "Why does this look so familiar?"

"Jason, it's like yours," Piper said. "Now we really have to leave." Livana wasn't even sure Jason could hear her through the princess's enchantment.

"Nonsense," the princess said. "The boys aren't done, are they? And yes, my dear. Those shirts are very popular trade-ins from previous customers. It suits you."

Leo picked up an orange Camp Half-Blood tee with a hole through the middle, as if it had been hit by a javelin. Next to that was a dented bronze breastplate pitted with corrosion- acid, maybe?- and a Roman toga slashed to pieces and stained with something that looked disturbingly like dried blood.

"Your Highness," Piper said, trying to control her nerves. "Why don't you tell the boys how you betrayed your family? I'm sure they'd like to hear that story."

Her words had no effect on the princess, but the boys turned, suddenly interested. Even Livana felt herself grow more curious about the Princess's tale.

"More story?" Leo asked.

"I like more story!" Jason agreed.

The princess flashed Piper and irritated look. "Oh, one will do strange things for love, Piper. You should know that. I fell for that young hero, in fact, because your mother Aphrodite had me under a spell. If it wasn't for her- but I can't hold a grudge against a goddess, can I?"

But you can take it out on Piper... that's not fair! Livana thought.

"But that hero took you with him when he fled Colchis," Piper remembered. "Didn't he, Your Highness? He married you just as promised."

The look in the princess's eyes made the girls want to back down, but they refused.

"At first," Her Highness admitted, "it seemed he would keep his word. But even after I helped him steal my father's treasure, he still needed my help. As we fled, my brother's fleet came after us. His warships overtook us. He would have destroyed us, but I convinced my brother to come aboard our ship first and talk under a flag of truce. He trusted me."

"And you killed your own brother," Livana blurted, remembering a history lesson with Annabeth. "Med-"

"What?" Jason stirred. For a moment he looked like himself. "Killed your own-"

"No," the princess snapped. "Those stories are lies. It was my new husband as his men who killed my brother, though they couldn't have done it without my deception. They threw his body into the sea, and the pursuing fleet had to stop and search for it so they could give my brother a proper burial. This gave us time to get away. All this, I did for my husband and he forgot our bargain. He betrayed me in the end."

Jason looked uncomfortable. "What did he do?"

The princess held the sliced-up toga against Jason's chest, as if measuring him for an assassination. "Don't you know the story, my boy? You of all people should. You were named for him."

"Jason," Piper said. "The original Jason. But then you're- you should be dead!"

The princess smiled. "As I said, a new life in a new country. Certainly I made mistakes. I turned my back on my own people. I was called a traitor, a thief, a liar, a murderess. But I acted out of love." She turned to the boys and gave them a pitiful look, batting her eyelashes. Livana could feel the sorcery washing over them, taking control more firmly than ever. "Wouldn't you do the same for someone you loved, my dears?"

"Oh, sure," Jason said

"Okay," Leo said.

"Guys!" Piper ground her teeth in frustration.

"Don't you know who she is?" Livana knit her brows together. "Don't you-"

"Let's continue, shall we?" the princess said breezily. "I believe you wanted to talk about a price for the storm spirits- and your satyr."

"This is ridiculous!" Piper said, walking a good distance from Her Highness. Livana crossed her arms in frustration.

"She's got them under a spell," Livana said, watching the princess lead the boys around. "It just gets worse!"

"She's charm speaking them," Piper said, stalking the boys and princess down the escalator.

"How can we break it?" Livana asked.

"I don't think you can. The user has to stop charming, or someone more powerful comes and persuades the listener to snap out of it." Piper tossed her head back and let out a groan.

"Well, they respond to certain things, you know? Jason seemed to be bothered by the shirt and Her Highnesses story. Maybe if we say certain things we can snap them out of it?" Livana said. Piper thought about her suggestion as they walked off the escalator.

"That could work," Piper pinched her chin in thought. "I could charm speak to Jason about whatever, his shirt or something."

"What about Leo?" Livana asked, strolling around the floor. The princess took the boys down the next escalator and the girls followed after.

"Talk about... his mom. That might get him started," Piper said as they descended to the second floor.

Livana furrowed her brow. "Well-"

"No way," Leo said, becoming distracted with the floor's appliances. "Is that an armed forge?"

Before Livana could stop him, he hopped off the escalator and ran over to a big oval oven that looked like a barbeque on steroids.

When they caught up with him, the princess said, "You have good taste. This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold.

Jason flinched as if he recognized that term. "Imperial gold?"

The princess nodded. "Yes, my dear. Like that weapon so cleverly concealed in your pocket. To be properly forged, Imperial gold had to be consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill in Rome. Quite a powerful and rare metal, but like the Roman emperors, quite volatile. Be sure never to break that blade..." she smiled pleasantly. "Rome was after my time, of course, but I do hear stories. And now over here- this golden throne is one of my finest luxury items. Hephaestus made it as a punishment for his mother, Hera. Sit in it and you'll be trapped immediately."

Leo apparently took that as an order. He began walking toward it in a trance.

Before Piper could warn him, Livana shot forward and grabbed him.

"Stop it!" Livana pleaded, squeezing the boy tight. He blinked, a moment of recognition on his features.

"How much for both?" He asked sleepily, ignoring Livana's grip on him. The girl grit her teeth and turned to Her Highness.

"Oh, the seat I could let you have for five great deeds. The forge, seven years of servitude. And only for a bit of your strength-" She led Leo into the appliance section, giving him prices on various items.

Piper pulled Jason aside and slapped him across the face, trying to reason with him. Livana bit her tongue as she watched- of course she wouldn't go to help Leo! She felt cold in her core.

Her body started moving with out her knowing, quickly moving for Leo's direction. Livana was blinded by whatever emotions she was feeling, and at this point she was too overwhelmed to figure them out.

"He isn't interested," Livana said firmly, standing infront of the princess and Leo. She gave the boy a look and said, "Let's go."

"I'm not sure about that, dear." The Princess smiled, but her eyes burned onto Livana. "Why don't you let the boy speak for himself?" She smoothed Leo's cheek with her hands.

Leo didn't react, though. He stared at Livana and frowned, saying, "I'm...actually not interested, yeah. I can build most of this myself, anyways." He scooted away from Her Highness and walked with Livana to the others.

"No!" Piper said. "She's worse! She's-"

"Children." The princess returned, still glaring at Livana. "If you please, we will now see what you came for. This is what you want, yes?"

Livana held back a scream, glancing at Piper. Their eyes spoke, and they came to a mutual understanding that they wanted to attack her. Their chances were bad, though. They both had to figure out a better plan.

The group took the escalator down to the base of the fountain. For the first time, Livana noticed two large bronze sundials- each about the size of a trampoline- inlaid on the marble tile floor to the north and south of the fountain. The gilded oversize canary cages stood to the east and west, and the farthest one held the storm spirits. They were so densely packed, spinning around like a super-concentrated tornado, that Livana couldn't tell how many there were- dozens, at least.

"Hey," Leo said, "Coach Hedge looks okay!"

They ran to the nearest canary cage. The old satyr seemed to have been petrified at the moment he was sucked into the sky above the Grand Canyon. He was frozen mid-shout, his club raised over his head like he was ordering a gym class to drop and give him fifty. His curly hair stuck up at odd angles.

"Yes " the princess said. "I always keep my wares in good condition. We can certainly barter for the storm spirits and the satyr. A package deal. If we come to terms, I'll even throw in the vial of healing potion, and you can go in peace." She gave Piper and Livana a look. "That's better than starting unpleasantness, isn't it, dear?"

Don't trust her.

Livana nodded towards her shadow's voice. If she was right about this lady's identity, nobody would be leaving in peace. A fair deal wasn't possible. It was all a trick. But her friends were looking at her and Piper, nodding urgently and mouthing, Say yes! Livana needed more time to think.

"We need to, uh, negotiate," she said.

"Totally!" Leo agreed. "Name your price."

"Leo!" The girls snapped.

"Oh, right." Leo laughed softly.

The princess chuckled. "Name my price? Perhaps not the best haggling strategy, my boy, but at least you know a thing's value. Freedom is very valuable indeed. You would ask me to release this satyr, who attacked my storm winds-"

"Who attacked them," Livana interjected.

Her Highness shrugged. "As I said, my patron asks me for small favors from time to time. Sending the storm spirits to abduct you- that was one. I assure you it was nothing personal. And no harm done, as you came here, in the end, of your own free will! At any rate, you want the satyr freed, and you want my storm spirits- who are very valuable servants, by the way- so you can hand them over to that tyrant Aeolis. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it? The price will be high."

Livana could see that her friends were ready to offer anything, promise anything. Before they could speak, she played her last card.

"You're Medea," she said. "You helped the original Jason steal the Golden Fleece. You're one of the most evil people in Greek mythology." She took a breath to calm herself, stepping forward. She felt a new item in her pocket of darkness- her sword! A wave of gratitude washed over Livana as she pulled out her stygian iron sword. The light in the room glimmered off the black metal. "Jason, Leo-" Livana looked back to the boys, locking eyes with Leo. "Don't trust her."

Livana put all the intensity she could gather into those words, doing her best to mimic the power she thought Piper had. She was utterly sincere, and it seemed to have some effect. Jason stepped away from the sorceress.

Leo scratched his head and looked around like he was coming out of a dream. "What are we doing, again?"

"Boys!" The princess spread her hands in a welcoming gesture. Her diamond jewelry glittered, and her painted fingers curled like blood-tipped claws. "It's true, I'm Medea. But I'm so misunderstood. Oh, Livana, my dear, you don't know what it was like for women in the old days. We had no power, no leverage. Often we couldn't even choose our own husbands. But I was different. I chose my own destiny by becoming a sorceress. Is that so wrong? I made a pact with Jason: my help to win the fleece, in exchange for his love. A fair deal. He became a famous hero! Without me, he would've died unknown on the shores of Colchis."

Jason- Jason Grace- scowled. "Then... you really did die three thousand years ago? You came back from the Underworld?"

"Death no longer holds me, young hero," Medea said. "Thanks to my patron, I am flesh and blood again."

"You re-formed?" Leo blinked. "Like a monster?"

Medea spread her fingers, and steam hissed from her nails, like water splashed on a hot iron. "You have no idea what's happening, do you, my dears? It is so much worse than a stirring of monsters from Tartarus. My patron knows that giants and monsters are not her greatest servants. I am mortal. I learn from from my mistakes. And now that I have returned to the living, I will not be cheated again. Now, here is my price for what you ask."

"Guys," Piper said. "The original Jason left Medea because she was crazy and bloodthirsty."

"Lies!" Medea screamed.

"On the way back from Colchis, Jason's ship landed at another kingdom, and Jason agreed to dump Medea and marry the king's daughter," Piper continued, pulling out her knife next to Livana.

"After I bore him two children!" Medea said. "Still he broke his promise! I ask you, was that right?"

Jason and Leo dutifully shook their heads, but the girls weren't through.

"It may not have been right," Livana said, "but neither was Medea's revenge. She murdered her own children to get back at Jason. She poisoned his new wife and fled the kingdom."

Medea snarled. "An invention to ruin my reputation! The people of the Corinth- that unruly mob- killed my children and drove me out. Jason did nothing to protect me. He robbed me of everything. So yes, I sneaked back into their palace and poisoned his lovely new bride. It was only fair- a suitable price."

"You're insane," Piper said.

"I am the victim!" Medea wailed. "I died with my dreams shattered, but no longer. I know not to trust heroes. When they come asking for their treasures, they will pay a heavy price. Especially when the one asking has the name of Jason!"

The fountain turned bright red. The girls held up their weapons, but Piper's hand was shaking almost too badly to hold it. Livana gave her a look of reassurance. "Jason, Leo- it's time to go. Now."

"Before you've closed the deal?" Medea asked. "What of your quest, boys? And my price is so easy. Did you know this fountain is magic? If a dead man were to be thrown into it, even if he was chopped to pieces, he would pop back out fully formed- stronger and more powerful than ever."

"Seriously?" Leo asked.

"Leo, she's lying," Livana said.

"She did that trick with somebody before- a king, I think," Piper explained. "She convinced his daughter to cut him to pieces so he could come out of the water young and healthy again, but it killed him!"

"Ridiculous," Medea said, and Livana could hear the power charged in every syllable. "Leo, Jason- my price is so simple. Why don't you two fight? If you get injured, or even killed, no problem. We'll just throw you into the fountain and you'll be better than ever. You do want to fight, don't you? You resent each other!"

"No!" Livana said. But they were already glaring at each other, as if it was just dawning on them how they really felt.

Livana had never felt more helpless. Now she understood what real sorcery looked like. She'd used magic before, but this was worse. Medea didn't just rely on poisons and potions. Her most potent weapon was her voice.

Leo scowled. "Jason's always the star. He always gets the action and takes me for granted."

Is that how he really feels? Livana asked herself.

"You're annoying, Leo," Jason said. "You never take anything seriously. You can't even fix a dragon." Livana grit her teeth at that.

"Stop!" Piper pleaded, but both drew weapons- Jason his gold sword, and Leo a hammer from his tool belt.

"Let them go, girls," Medea urged. "I'm doing you a favor. Let it happen now, and it will make your choice so much easier. Enceladus will be pleased. You could have your fathers back today!"

Livana's heart stopped. She could have her dad back? Could Medea really do that? She hadn't seen him in years; she'd missed him so much. She looked over to Piper and silently asked her if it was okay. The girl stared back, the gleam in her eye must have um-charmed Livana because she tightened her grip on her sword again.

She remembered, her father was dead.

"You work for Enceladus," she said.

Medea laughed. "Serve a giant? No. But we all serve the same greater cause- a patron you cannot begin to challenge. Walk away, child of Nyx. This does not have to be your death, too. Save yourself, and you and your father can go free."

Leo and Jason were still facing off, ready to fight, but they looked unsteady and confused- waiting for another order. Part of them had to be resisting, Livana hoped. This went completely against their nature.

"My father has been dead for years!" Livana said, anger rising within her. "I was too young to remember how, but he's dead!"

Medea let out a low chuckle.

"It is true. But you were not too young. If I remember right, you were ten years old. You've just forced yourself to forget much of your past. Would you like some help, dear?" Medea's voice sent a chill down Livana's spine, coaxing her to say yes.

"No, she's toying with you!" Piper warned.

"Are you really?" Livana asked in an unsure voice. Medea smiled.

"Of course, my sweet. You pushed him," Medea said. Livana's eyes widened. "Down the stairs." The sorceress laughed as Livana grew cold. Her face held no emotion- besides her eyes, which were filled with terror. Her body shook and filled with an urge to leave Medea's presence.

Piper put an arm around her shoulder, cupping her cheek. "No, Livana, listen! She's trying to get into your mind!"

"I-I really-"

"I don't know what you've done, Livana, but please listen to me! You're gonna be okay. Try to convince the boys to put their weapons down, I'll handle Medea!"

"Thank you," Livana mumbled. Piper nodded, turning back to Medea as she plucked a diamond from her necklace and created an Iris message. Livana rushed between the boys, looking them in the eyes.

"Guys!" She said. "Don't fight, please! This isn't like you guys! You're friends- you're my friends!" She walked to Jason and lowered his golden sword. "Leo is your teammate, friend, and you would never fight him!"

"Really?" Jason blinked. Livana nodded and rushed over to Leo.

"You'd never fight Jason! For one, he might over power you!" Livana laughed. Leo smiled unsurely. "You're my... best friend! We're all friends, don't fight."

"Okay." Leo shrugged.

"Leo listen!" Piper said. "She helped get your mother killed!"

"Uh-huh," Leo mumbled, in a daze. Livana clenched her fists, realizing she didn't break the charm. Leo frowned at his hammer. "So I just... attack Jason? That's okay?"

"Perfectly safe," Medea promised. "And Jason, strike him hard. Show me you are worthy of your namesake."

"No!" Livana ordered. She knew it was her last chance. "Jason, Leo- she's tricking you! Put down your weapons."

The sorceress rolled her eyes. "Please, girl, you're not even a charm speaker. Not you or Piper stand a chance against me. Now, boys, kill each other!"

"Jason, Leo, listen to me." Piper put all of her emotions into her voice. "Medea is charming you. It's part of her magic. You are best friends. Don't fight each other. Fight her!"

They hesitated, and Livana could feel the spell shatter.

Jason blinked. "Leo, was I just about to stab you?" Livana smiled so wide it hurt. She jumped into Piper's arms happily, squeezing her in a hug.

"You did it! You did it!" She cheered. Piper hugged her back with equal happiness. Livana gasped and let go of Piper, running back to Leo. "Leo!"

"Something about my mother...?" Leo frowned, then turned toward Medea. Livana raised her sword with him. "You... you're working for Dirt Woman. You sent her to the machine shop." He lifted his arm. "Lady, I got a three-pound hammer with your name on it."

"Bah!" Medea sneered. "I'll simply collect payment another way."

She pressed one of the mosaic tiles on the floor, and the building rumbled. Jason swung his sword at Medea, but she dissolved into smoke and reappeared at the base of the escalator.

"You're slow, hero!" She laughed. "Take your frustration out on my pets!"

Before Jason could go after her, the giant bronze sundials at either end of the fountain swung open. Two snarling gold beasts crawled out from the pits below. Each was the size of a camper van, maybe not large compared to Festus, but large enough.

"So that's what's in the kennels," Leo and Livana said in unison.

The dragons spread their wings and hissed. Livana could feel the heat coming off their glittering skin, stepping back in fear. One turned his glittery orange eyes on her.

"Don't look them in the eye!" Jason warned. "They'll paralyze you!"

"Indeed!" Medea was leisurely riding the escalator up, leaning against the handrail as she watched the fun. "These two dears have been with me a long time- sun dragons, you know, gifts from my grandfather Helios. They pulled my chariot when I left Corinth, and now they will be your destruction. Ta-ta!"

The dragons lunged. Leo and Jason charged to intercept. The girls were amazed how fearlessly the boys attacked- working like a team who had trained together for years. Livana felt her heart speed up as she watched her best friend, Leo.

Medea was almost to the second floor, where she'd be able to choose from a wide assortment of deadly appliances.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Piper growled, and took off after her. Livana followed, quickly out pacing her.

When Medea spotted them, she started climbing in earnest. She was quick for a three thousand year old lady. Piper climbed three steps a time, while Livana ran up the rails, yet they still couldn't catch her. Medea didn't stop at floor two. She hopped the next escalator and continued to ascend.

The potions, Livana thought. Of course that's what she would go for. She was famous for potions.

Down below, Livana heard the battle raging. Leo was blowing his safety whistle, and Jason was yelling to keep the dragon's attention. Livana veered off and grabbed a shield from an armored manikin on floor three and continued to climb. Livana was way ahead of Piper now, but still looked back to see if she was okay.

She reached the top floor, Piper just a flight of stairs behind. Medea had reached the potions counter and grabbed the swan-shaped vial- the blue one that caused painful death- and Livana did the only thing that came to mind.

Livana shifted her feet and spun a few times. "Rrragh!" She growled while hurling her shield. Medea turned triumphantly just in time to get hit in the chest by a fifty-pound metal Frisbee. She stumbled backward, crashing over the counter, breaking vials and knocking down shelves. When the sorceress stood from the wreckage, her dress was stained a dozen different colors. Many of the stains were smoldering and glowing.

"Fool!" Medea wailed. "Do you have any idea what so many potions will do when mixed?!"

"Kill you?" Livana said hopefully.

The carpet began to steam around Medea's feet. She coughed. And her face contorted in pain.

Below, Leo called, "Jason, help!"

Livana risked a quick look, and almost sobbed in despair. One of the dragons had Leo pinned to the floor. It was barring its fangs, ready to snap. Jason was all the way across the room battling the other dragon, much too far to assist.

"No!" Livana yelled. She had to help him, but what about Piper and Medea? The potions were going to destroy the building!

CRASH! The stained glass ceiling splintered in a rain of multicolored shards, and Festus the bronze dragon dropped into the department store. A smile quickly plastered onto Livana's face.

Festus hurtled into the fray, snatching up a sun dragon in each claw. "That's my boy!" Leo yelled.

Festus flew halfway up the atrium, then hurled the sun dragons into the pits they'd come from. Leo raced to the fountain and pressed the marble tile, closing the sundials. They shuddered as the dragons banged against them, trying to get out.

Medea cursed in some ancient language. The whole fourth floor was on fire now. The air filled with noxious gas. Even with the roof open, Livana could feel the heat intensifying. She and Piper backed up to the edge of the railing, keeping their weapons pointed toward Medea.

"I will not be abandoned again!" The sorceress knelt and snatched up the red healing potion, which somehow survived the crash. "You want your boyfriend's memory restored? Take me with you!"

Livana looked at Piper. She shook her head and glanced behind her. Livana did the same, seeing Leo and Jason on Festus' back. The bronze dragon flapped his mighty wings, snatched the two cages with the satyr and the storm spirits in his claws, and began to ascend.

The building rumbled. Fire and smoke curled up the walls, melting the railings, turning the air to acid. It started to hurt Livana.

"You'll never survive your quest without me!" Medea growled. "Your boy hero will stay ignorant forever, and Piper, your father will die. Take me with you!"

For one heartbeat, Livana was tempted. Then she saw Medea's grim smile. The sorceress was confident in her powers of persuasion, confident that she could always make a deal, always escape and win in the end.

"Not today, witch." Piper jumped over the side.

Livana faltered in following suit. Normally she would be fine, but after hearing about her dad...

Heights became terrifying.

Fire inched closer to her and the gas became overwhelming. Livana's knees felt weak.

Jump!

"I can't!" Livana shook with fear. "I can't, I'm sorry!"

Livana, you need to jump!

"No, I-" Livana's words dropped back into her gut, feeling herself be pushed off the ledge. A scream caught in her throat as she looked up to see who pushed her.

Her shadow stood at the rails, yet it looked different. Its outline was similar to a friend. No...he was closer than a friend. He was basically her brother.

"Nico," Livana gasped. The shadow vanished and she continued to plummet for a second. Leo caught her and hauled her onto the dragon.

She heard Medea screaming in rage as they soared through the broken roof over downtown Chicago. Then the department store exploded behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ouuuuu we got to see some nicooooo. relationships at the beginning were rlly iffy for me and im trying to elaborate on them more. alsooooo what do you think about livs dad? was medea lying??? idkkk find out later ;)


	9. Festus Explodes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After obtaining Coach Hedge and the storm spirits, the group flies to Aeolus. Unfortunately, partway through Festus falls for his last time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WROTE THIS IN ONE DAY but i edited it today but DAAAANG i went fast. kinda proud of myself ngl. this chapter is more talking than anything but it still pulls the story along. Leo talks with Livana about some shiz but on Livana's part, she gets upset. Warnings for this chapter!!!! Many mentions of feeling nauseated, but nothing happens so if u have emetophobia, be careful. in the second half of livana's vision, it depicts some ab*se but nothing graphic or described. It also has trauma bonding in it so if you are sensitive to these things or are triggered by them, feel free to skip over to the part where Livana wakes up. Stay safe!!!

Livana clung to Leo tightly as they flew, afraid Medea would follow them. Leo kept looking back, making sure Livana was alright and possibly to check if they were being chased, too. He steered the dragon toward the southwest.

Eventually, the smoke from the burning department store faded in the distance, but Livana didn't relax until the suburbs of Chicago gave way to snowy fields, and the sun began to set.

"Good job, Festus," Leo said, patting the dragon's metal hide. "You did awesome."

The dragon shuddered. Gears popped and clicked in his neck.

Livana could feel Leo frown; he didn't like those noises. She remembered the control disc she watched Leo put in and hoped it wasn't failing again. Hopefully it was something minor- something he could fix.

"I'll give you a tune-up next time we land," Leo promised. "You've earned some motor oil and Tabasco sauce."

Festus whirled his teeth, but even that sounded weak. He flew at a steady pace, his great wings angling to catch the wind, but he was carrying a heavy load. Two cages in his claws plus four people on his back- the more Livana thought about it, the more worried she got. Even metal dragons had limits.

"Leo." Livana rubbed his shoulder. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah... not bad for a brainwashed zombie," Leo said with sarcasm. Livana tilted her head in confusion; both of those words sounded bad. Leo sighed and relaxed his posture. "Thanks for saving us back there, Liv. You, too, beauty queen. If you hadn't talked me out of that spell-"

"Don't worry about it," the girls said in unison. They glanced at each other and giggled. Livana enjoyed the bonding she and Piper had that day, even if they were in danger the whole time. Her braid had stayed in tact through the fight- not even budging when she fell.

Livana shuddered. She was thankful Nico had saved her, but she still felt sick. Did she really cause her dad's death? The memory was cloudy, but it still existed- unlike Jason's. That confused her the most; why couldn't she remember? Livana knit her brows together, the thought was a bad itch she couldn't scratch.

All worries cleared from her mind as she leaned into Leo. His warmth spread over her and enveloped her in a relaxing feeling. Livana sighed in content as Leo shifted to hold her weight better. He seemed deep in thought, though.

"Leo?" Livana asked him in a hushed tone. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Leo replied, almost brushing her off. He stayed quiet for a moment. "Actually, when we land...can we talk? I need to get some stuff off my chest."

"Oh, sure." Livana sat up a bit. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to talk to someone," Leo said. Livana nodded and rubbed his shoulder. The boy smiled back at her, gently placing a hand on hers. Livana felt her heart skip a beat. "We're going to have to put down soon," Leo warned his friends. "Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea's not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that."

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too. Question is- where are we going?"

"The Bay Area," Leo guessed. Livana's gut dropped. She remembered what Medea had said earlier- her and the boys would die there. She gulped, shifting uncomfortably. "Didn't Medea say something about Oakland?"

Neither Livana or Piper responded.

"Piper's dad," Jason put in. "Something happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap."

Piper let out a shaky breath. "Look, Medea said you three would die in the Bay Area. And besides... even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge! First we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go."

Leo grunted. "So how do we find Aeolus?"

Jason leaned forward. "You mean you don't see it?" He pointed ahead of them, but Livana didn't see anything except clouds and the lights of a few towns glowing in the dusk.

"What?" Leo asked.

"That... whatever it is," Jason said. "In the air."

Leo glanced back and Livana and Piper. They looked just as confused as he was.

"Right," Leo said. "Could you be more specific on the 'whatever-it-is' part?"

"Like a vapor trail," Jason said. "Except it's glowing. Really faint, but it's definitely there. We've been following it since Chicago, so I figured you saw it."

Livana shook her head. "Maybe Festus can sense it. Do you think Aeolus made it?"

"Well it's a magical trail in the wind," Jason said. "Aeolus is the wind god. I think he knows we've got prisoners for him. He's telling us where to fly."

"Or it's another trap," Piper said.

Her tone worried Livana. She didn't sound nervous. She sounded broken with despair, like they'd already sealed their fate, and like it was all her fault.

Leo seemed to pick up on it, too. He asked, "Pipes, you all right?"

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, fine. You don't like any of the names I make up for you. But if your dad's in trouble we can help-"

"You can't," she said, her voice getting shakier. "Look, I'm tired. If you don't mind..."

She leaned back against Jason and closed her eyes.

All right, Livana thought- pretty clear signal she didn't want to talk.

They flew in silence for a while. Festus seemed to know where he was going. He kept his course, gently curving toward the southwest and hopefully Aeolus' fortress. Another wind god to visit, a whole new flavor of crazy.

Livana had too much on her mind to sleep, and her body agreed. Every time she felt the slightest bit tired, her body would jolt up or her leg would kick out. Leo might have been similar; Livana knew he didn't like sleep. But, she could feel his body relaxing and she got a feeling he couldn't go on much longer. Livana looked back to Jason, the two came to a mutual understanding.

"Catch a few Z's," Jason told Leo. "It's cool, hand me the reins."

"Nah, I'm okay-"

"Leo," Livana said, "you're not a machine. Besides, Jason is the only one who can see the vapor trail. He'll make sure we stay on course."

Leo's eyes started to close on their own. "All right. Maybe just..."

He didn't finish the sentence before slumping forward against the dragon's warm neck.

"Aaaaand he's out," Jason said, gripping the reins.

"Good. He rarely sleeps," Livana said.

"Well, neither really do you," Jason said. "For a daughter of the night, you'd think you'd be asleep all day."

Livana laughed. "I get tired a lot, yes. But I have trouble sleeping often."

"Nightmares?" Jason asked. Livana nodded and brought her arms to her chest- partly for warmth but mostly for security. "Demigod kind or just regular kind?"

"Both, I guess. But mostly because of anxiety."

"I see. Didn't Medea give you that potion, though? I know she's evil, but she seemed honest about the potions," Jason said.

"What do you know?" Livana laughed and looked back at him. "You were being charm spoken!"

Jason blushed from shame. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"But," Livana said, "I wasn't. She did seem to be honest. When she attacked Piper and I, she grabbed the vial for painful death. Then, when she was dying, she grabbed the healing one. It makes sense, right?" Livana grabbed the vial from a pocket of darkness. "I guess it couldn't hurt to try."

The vial hadn't changed- it still bubbled the sickly yellow liquid inside. Livana popped off the cork top and a slight bit of yellow vapor flew out. She decided it would be best to smell it first- just incase. Lifting the small vial up to her nose, she inhaled.

Oranges.

Livana gagged roughly, her body jolting forward. Her gut tied itself in knots as she let go of the vial, which dropped down to the earth. Nausea overwhelmed her senses, her eyes watered and rolled back. Body numb, she fell into sleeping Leo.

The last thing she heard was Jason calling her name before everything went black.

-

Livana's body regained feeling slowly; first her stomach- which had thankfully become less sour- then her legs, upper chest, arms, and finally her head. The girl opened her eyes, surprised to see nothing but black. She blinked a few times, just to make sure she was awake. She pulled her arms up to rub her eyes, but flinched when she realized she could see herself.

She looked down and saw her body in perfect lighting, still in her cozy outfit from before. The room around her was just and endless void of black.

That was, until she heard a sound. It was inaudible, at first, but it grew into a calming, hushed voice.

"I did a good job, yes?" A woman's voice said. It was so familiar to Livana, but she couldn't recall why. The girl took a step into the void, trying to get closer to the voice. As she did, a room unfurled around her.

Nostalgia hit her like a truck. Her feet stood on wood flooring, behind her was a kitchen with brown cupboards and black granite counter tops. Just passed the kitchen was a round dinner table with a basket of fresh fruit from the current season. Judging by the amount of citrus- including orange- it was December. The chairs were the same color wood as the table, and an auburn cushion sat in each. Just behind the table were three windows, slightly angled from each other so they looked like the top three sides of an octagon. To the right of the windows was a sliding glass door, but it was covered by curtains.

Livana strolled through the house, sliding her fingers on any surface she walked past. She turned around from the curtained slider and walked up the small step to the living room. A door behind her lead to the streets outside- she knew that for certain. The living room still had wood flooring, but more furniture than any other room. Two white couches with wooden arm rests, a red heating blanket hung off one of the biggest couch. There was another table, small in size that was low to the floor. A few maroon pillows were placed around it.

The table held a few books, all in French. They talked about the stars and the inconceivable expanse of the universe. On a coaster was a small glass up of earl grey tea, with two sugar cubes and a teaspoon of honey- just the way Livana's dad liked it. A few feet from the largest couch, up against a wall was a large glass case. Inside were tiny porcelain objects like planets, animals of the Lunar New Year, and mascots of different TV shows Livana's dad watched as a kid.

There was another glass case on the wall west of the porcelain one. That one held items like old perfume vials, urns for ashes, and framed photographs of people. Some were black and white, some had a tinge of color, and others were fully vibrant. Livana, now taller than she was as a kid, could finally see each and every photograph and the moments they captured. To her left was a ginormous staircase made of wood, a red carpet ran down the steps. Livana kicked off her shoes and swept them to the side, dashing up the stairs.

At the top was a horizontal hallway that held four doors. The one to the far left was a bathroom, to the right of it was a baby's room- Livana's room. The door next to hers lead to her dad's room; it was the second biggest in the house because it also held his bathroom. The last door had another flight of stairs going up, though it wasn't too large. Livana chose that one and hurried into it.

Her legs didn't mind the climbing, mostly because she was filled with adrenaline. This house- every room, every piece of furniture, every color- was unmistakably her childhood home in Troyes, France.

At the top of the stairs was the biggest room in her house. The room held a circular shape, filled with all sorts of tables, computers, corkboards, models, books- almost anything you could imagine. The ceiling was a large glass dome, but you could push up one of the bottom panels and walk out onto the roof to watch the city below you. The stars twinkled brightly while the sky seemed to change colors- blue, purple, navy- you name it.

"Oh mes étoiles, she's beautiful..." a man's voice said.

Livana looked back down to the floor, noticing two people. One was an average-sized man. His hair was thick and black, parted at his right side and swept over. His eyes were thin, brown and slightly wrinkled at the corners from many smiles. The man's brows were dark and feathery, furrowed together in deep thought. In the center of his face was a wide, slightly flat nose. He looked up and smiled with thin lips.

Livana looked nothing like this man, but she knew that was her loving father. Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"I'm glad you think so," the person next to Livana's dad spoke. This person was a woman, no doubt. She stood at about six feet tall, her body plump and curvy with pale skin like moonlight. Raven black hair curled beautifully and fell to her hips. As she moved, her dark dress flowed with her. Livana swore she could see the entire night sky reflect off it, with owls flying and stars twinkling, too. In her hair were two beautiful silver wing pins that sometimes look like they stretched out or flapped.

The woman's face was undeniably gorgeous, with round cheek bones and full, rosy lips. Her eyes were deep-set and lilac grey with dark, thick lashes that fluttered whenever she blinked. Her nose bridge was straight and thin- a splash of freckles across it, though they sparkled like glitter.

She looked exactly like Livana, meaning this woman was her mother.

"She really is the most beautiful child I've bore." Her voice held the soft coo of a lullaby, nearly putting Livana to sleep.

"I really can't find the right words," Livana's dad said. "Nyx, really, I-"

"Shhh, you'll wake her," Nyx smiled and moved her arm towards her dad. Livana had been so focused on the adults she hadn't noticed the baby bundled in a starry-print blanket. Her father held the child with care, rocking her back and forth whenever she stirred. He smiled down at her, then looked back up to Nyx.

"Did you name her yet?" He asked.

"Not yet, Phillippe. Why don't you give her a name?" Nyx ran a hand through the man's hair, and in turn he leaned into her side. As he turned, a ray of moonlight fell onto the baby girl's face. This gave her dad an idea.

"Livana," he said softly. 

"Meaning 'the moon'?" Nyx asked, running a finger along the child's cheek. Livana's dad nodded. "I will give her a last name, then. Something to carry with her, from me."

"What's wrong with my last name?"

"Nothing, my dear. I would just prefer her last name to be something from me. You can give her your surname as a middle name," Nyx said with a smile. The man nodded and the goddess thought for a moment. "I've got it."

"What is it?" Livana's dad asked.

"She's my little raven," Nyx said sweetly. "Corbin. Her last name will be Corbin."

"That's beautiful," the man said, holding baby Livana closer. "Livana Li Wei Corbin. Livana Corbin."

"Philippe," Nyx said, drawing the man's attention to her. "You must listen to me now, okay?"

"Yes, what do you need?" He asked.

"When you raise her, treat her as a normal child. Do not tell her who I am, not ever," Nyx said. Her voice was tainted with pain. "I've done this before, but it never gets easier. Assure her I love her and I would be there if I could."

"Why can't you?" Livana's dad asked sadly.

"It's too dangerous. I want her life monster-free until she can make it to camp. Get a contact in New York near Long Island Sound, be ready to send her there by her thirteenth birthday." Nyx grabbed baby Livana from her dad's arms and cradled her.

"I have a good friend in New York right now- Kevin. He can be her God Father."

"God father?" Nyx asked, slightly taken aback.

"Oh, I'm catholic."

"Ah, right." Nyx closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Does he have any relatives in New York?"

"Oh." Livana's dad pondered for a moment. "I believe he has a brother that could care for her."

"It will be hard, but she will turn out good. Now, do not teach her English." Livana grit her teeth and walked closer to her mom. "It may seem strange, but this will help her make friends at the camp."

The girl stopped, taken aback by the goddess' words. She furrowed her brows and realized she was right. Because she barely knew English, Annabeth taught taught her and became her friend. Piper and her bonded over their similarity of speaking French, too.

"Anything else?" Her dad asked.

"Homeschool her. Keep her safe here. You can take her outside, but watch her closely. No public schools, no academies," Nyx ordered. Livana's dad nodded. "Life will get very hard for her, but I cannot interfere. I will only do one thing, but after- nothing." She turned toward the man and sighed. "Please, take care of her for me."

"I will, I swear on the River Styx." Thunder rumbled in the distance. Livana's dad took the baby into his arms again as Nyx brushed a finger against his cheek. She bent down and smiled at the sleeping baby.

"Goodbye, my little raven." The goddess planted a kiss under the baby's left eye. A beauty mark slowly appeared under it. Livana's dad gaped in awe. He looked up at Nyx and started to cry.

"You are my wishing star," he said sadly. Nyx chuckled and wiped a tear from his cheek.

"Those are your first and last words to me. Goodbye, Philippe." Nyx gazed up at the sky, her hair pins growing into much larger wings that looked like dark smoke. Her form changed into a much godlier one, then she emitted a bright light. Livana and her dad looked away.

And like that, her mother vanished forever.

The room dissolved into darkness again, leaving Livana alone with a new, heavy sadness. She expected to wake up soon, but nothing happened. After a long minute, another house folded out infront of her. This time, the house gave her fear in place of nostalgia.

Her God Father's house- thought, was he her actual God Father now? Either way, Livana did her best to not remember the details of the house. That seemed to rub off on whatever dream this was, because only the kitchen, Livingroom, and upstairs were shown. The rest of the house was a fuzzy blur of dim colors.

Livana didn't dwell on the scenery. Instead, she immediately focused on the two people. A younger version of Livana sat on her knees on the kitchen floor, coughing and gagging, wiping tears from her face. She must have been fifteen here.

"What did I tell you the eating times in this house were?!" The man yelled. Livana felt anxiety grow in her chest just from hearing his voice again. She didn't dare look at the man, instead only paying attention to herself.

"S-S-Sorry!" Younger Livana cried. 

"I don't care! You learn the rules or you get punished!"

"It was an orange!" Younger Livana sobbed on the kitchen floor. The man bent down and rubbed her back.

"I know, I know. But you gotta listen to the rules, how else will you succeed in life? I love you, Livana. You know that, right?" Older Livana turned around quickly, walking into the fuzzy void of the house. She didn't want to hear the rest of that conversation. She didn't want to remember it.

Livana closed her eyes, feeling a tug in her gut. Using her powers, she forced herself awake.

-

Livana filled with nausea again, hearing voices yelling all around her. Piper screamed, Jason was yelling at someone, and Leo was shouting curses.

They spiraled through the dark in a free fall, still on the dragon's back, but Festus' hide was cold. His ruby eyes were dim.

"Not again!" Leo yelled. "You can't fall again!"

Livana could barely hold on. The wind stung her eyes but the feeling of plummeting toward the earth was worse. Fear took over all her senses. She desperately gripped onto Leo's jacket.

The boy did his best to get the dragon working again, toggling the switches and tugging on wires. The dragon's wings flapped once, but Livana caught a whiff of burning bronze. The drive system was overloaded. Festus didn't have the strength to keep flying, and Leo couldn't get to the main control panel on the dragon's head- not in midair. Livana saw the lights of a city below them- just flashes as they plummeted in circles. They had only seconds before they crashed.

"Jason!" Leo screamed. "Take Livana and Piper! Fly out of here!"

"What?"

"We need to lighten the load! I might be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!"

"What about you?" Livana cried. "If you can't reboot him-"

"I'll be fine," Leo yelled. "Just follow me to the ground. Go!"

"No, I-" Jason grabbed Livana mid-sentence. He unbuckled her harness, and in a flash they were shooting into the air. Livana screamed, trying to get away from Jason and back to Leo. She thought she could help him, maybe shadow-shift into something and carry him down.

Livana remembered something Leo said a few days ago- how she shouldn't get close to him. He didn't want her to get hurt. Not if it was because he was in danger. The girl knew she had to stay away, but she wouldn't be able to live with herself if he... if he....

"S'il te plaît ne pars pas encore, je ne peux pas perdre quelqu'un d'autre!" Livana cried out. She watched the dragon spread his wings again. Their fall turned into a steep glide. The ground was too close, and they were coming in hot. They needed a place to land- fast.

Leo steered to a mansion with a huge snowy lawn. Festus seemed to come back to life as Leo flew. Livana felt a small hope spark her being- they could make this!

Then everything went wrong. As the two approached the lawn, spotlights along the fence fixed on them, blinding Leo.

Time froze for Livana. She reached out to the boy, watching lasers shoot out and cut the dragon to shreds. She could still save him, she could make a shield of shadows and keep the two safe. If he died, she wouldn't want to be seen ever again- not while she knew she could've saved him.

She didn't want to be seen. Livana's body felt empty and cold, then she fell out of Jason's arms. No, she fell through his arms.

"Livana!" Jason shouted. The girl rocketed toward Leo, her form a pure shadow. She believed she could make it- that she could save him. But she had clearly worked too much these past days. Her body stopped responding to her mind, and she fell into the mansion's yard.

Her head slammed against an object and a pain engulfed her cranium. A crazy headache over took Livana's brain, and the freezing snow didn't help her any more. The girl wished she could black out so the pain would stop- but somehow, she stayed awake.

Festus's parts fell and sprawled across a lawn. Leo landed in the snow, getting covered in mud. Livana gasped and whined, trying to sit up. Her body started to shiver violently. The snow had melted into her clothes, causing her to grow freezing.

"L-L-Leo!" She called out. Her face felt wet and her stomach churned from dizziness. Leo didn't answer her call, so Livana assumed she blacked out. Piper and Jason landed, each going to a separate person.

"Livana!" Piper yelled. She kneeled into the snow next to her. "My gods, your head!" Piper reached out and touched the left side of her skull. Livana winced and scooted away from her. She turned to the red snow she laid on before, her eyes widening.

"H-H-ow-w b-bad is it-t?" Livana asked. Piper shook her head and grabbed Livana, picking her up carefully.

"Just relax, don't over work yourself." She helped walk her over toward Leo, who was still passed out in the snow. Livana fell to her knees and leaned over Leo. Blood dripped down her forehead and she did her best not to get it on him. She shakily reached out and touched his cheek. Leo quickly woke up.

"Cold," he seethed. He spit a clump of frozen grass out of his mouth. "Where-"

"L-Lie st-still." Livana had tears in her eyes.

"God, Liv! Are you okay? What happened?" Leo sat up and wiped some blood off her cheek, which was replaced by another stream right after. Livana shook her head, which pained her immensely.

Piper spoke up for her. "You rolled pretty hard when- when Festus-"

"Where is he?" Leo got to his knees and stood, picking up Livana with him. Then he saw the wreckage. Festus must have dropped the canary cages as he came over the fence, because they'd rolled in different directions and landed on their sides, perfectly undamaged.

Festus hadn't been so lucky

The dragon had disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body had plowed a trench twenty feet wide and fifty feet long across the mansion's yard before breaking apart. What remained of his hide was a charred, smoking pile of scraps. Only his neck and head were somewhat intact, resting across a row of frozen rosebuds like a pillow.

"No," Leo sobbed. He ran to the dragon's head and stroked its snout, Livana stumbled behind him. The dragon's eyes flickered weakly. Oil leaked out of his ear. "You can't go," Leo pleaded. "You're the best thing I ever fixed."

The dragon's head whirred its gears, as if it were purring. Jason, Livana, and Piper stood next to him, but Leo kept his eyes fixed on the dragon. "It's not fair," he said.

The dragon clicked. Long creak. Two short creaks. Creak. Creak.

"Yeah," Leo said. "I understand. I will. I promise."

The dragon's eyes went dark. Festus was gone.

Leo cried. Livana wrapped an arm around him, still shivering violently. The boy leaned into her, regardless. They sat for a few minutes.

Finally, Jason said, "I'm so sorry, man. What did you promise Festus?"

Leo sniffed. He opened the dragon's head panel, just to be sure, but the control disk was cracked and burned beyond repair.

"Something my dad told me," Leo said. "Everything can be reused."

"Your dad talked to you?" Jason asked. "When was this?"

Leo didn't answer. He worked at the dragon's neck hinges until the head was detached. It weighed about a hundred pounds, but Leo still managed to hold it in his arms. He looked up at the starry sky and said, "Take him back to the bunker, Dad. Please, until I can reuse him. I've never asked you for anything."

The wind picked up, and the dragon's head floated out of Leo's arms like it weighed nothing. It flew into the sky and disappeared.

Piper looked at him in amazement. "He answered you?"

"I had a dream," Leo managed. "Tell you later." He stood up, Livana following weakly. She offered her hands to Leo, who took them without a second thought. He held them tightly within his own and heated his palmed, trying to warm her ice cold hands. Afterward, he pulled her close and slung an arm under her waist to help steady her. "Where are we?" He asked. "I mean, what city?"

"Omaha, Nebraska," Piper said. "I saw a billboard as we flew in. But I don't know what this mansion is. We came in right behind you, but as you were landing, Leo, I swear it looked like- I don't know-"

"Lasers," Leo said. He picked up a piece of dragon wreckage and threw it toward the top of the fence. Immediately a turret popped up from the brick wall and a beam of pure heat incinerated the bronze plating to ashes.

Jason whistled. "Some defense system. How are we even alive?"

"Festus," Leo said miserably. "He took the fire. The lasers sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn't focus on you. I led him into a death trap."

"Y-You couldn't-t have kno-own," Livana said. "H-He s-saved our l-lives again."

"But what now?" Jason said. "The main gates are locked, and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without getting shot down.

Leo looked up to the walkway at the big white mansion. "Since we can't go out, we'll have to go in."

-

The group would have died five times on the way to the front door if not for Leo.

First it was the motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, then the lasers on the steps, then the nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, the pressure-sensitive poison spikes in the welcome mat, and of course the exploding doorbell.

Leo deactivated all of them. It was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.

"Y-You're am-mazing, Leo," Livana said.

Leo scowled as he examined the front door lock. "Yeah, amazing," he said. "Can't fix a dragon right, but I'm amazing."

"Th-That wasn't y-your-"

"Front door's already unlocked," Leo announced.

Piper stared at the door in disbelief. "It is? All those traps, and the door's unlocked?"

Leo turned the knob. The door swung open easily. He stepped inside without hesitation. Livana walked in with him as Piper and Jason began talking. Leo walked around the house with her aimlessly.

Livana looked up at him. "Hey, L-Leo?" She asked softly, not wanting to upset him more. Leo looked at her, he wasn't angry but he wasn't happy either. "I'm s-so sorry," she whispered. Leo's eyes turned glassy. He wrapped her in a tight hug, but was careful not to hurt her. Livana returned the embrace, rubbing his back gently.

"I still need to talk to you, but we can do that later. Let's scout some more of the room and treat your head, okay?"

Livana nodded gently. "Okay."

The house was extremely dark, but Livana could see perfectly. Leo had some trouble navigating but the girl held his hand and told him where objects were so he didn't run into them. The only illumination came from the yard lights outside. A faint glow peeked through the breaks in the thick velvet curtains. The window rose about ten feet tall. Spaced between them along the walls were life-sized metal statues. Livana saw sofas arranged in a U in the middle of the room, with a central coffee table and one large chair at the far end. A massive chandelier glinted overhead. Along the back wall stood a row of closed doors.

"Where's the light switch?" Jason's voice echoed alarmingly through the room.

"I d-don't see one," Livana said.

"Fire?" Piper suggested.

Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. "It's not working."

"Your fire is out? Why?" Piper asked.

"Well if I knew that-"

"Okay, okay," she said. "What do we do- explore?"

Leo shook his head. "After all those traps outside? Bad idea."

Livana's skin tingled. She hated being a demigod. Looking around, she didn't see a comfortable room to hang out in. She imagined storm spirits lurking in the curtains, dragons under the carpet, a chandelier made of lethal ice shards, ready to impale them. She didn't enjoy being trapped in a house; she'd done that for six years already. Her anxiety crawled around her throat, instincts begging her to start doing chores. Her body still was weak and her head felt like it was on the brink of exploding. Blood still dripped onto her sweater, but it slowed down from earlier.

"Leo's right," Jason said. "We're not separating again- not like in Detroit."

"Oh, thank you for reminding me of the Cyclopes." Piper's voice quavered. "I needed that."

"It's a few hours until dawn," Jason guessed. "Too cold to wait outside. Let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room. Wait for daylight; then we can decide what to do."

Nobody offered a better idea, so Jason rolled in the cages with Coach Hedge and the storm spirits, then they all steeled in. Thankfully, Leo didn't find any poison throw pillows or electric whoopee cushions on the sofas.

Leo didn't seem in the mood to make more tacos. Besides, they had no fire, so they settled for cold rations. Livana didn't feel like eating, still nauseated from her concussion. Leo sat her at the coffee table, pulling a first aid from his tool belt. Livana's hair was a wreck- her braid was undone and chunks of the dark strands were coated in blood.

Leo shook his head and got out a cotton ball, soaking it in alcohol to clean the gash. He rubbed it along the mark gently, Livana wincing now and then.

"How bad does it hurt?" Leo asked.

"Pretty bad, but it's just a-aching now." Livana looked at the table in shame. "I know you told me not to get close but-"

"It's fine," Leo said. "I'd probably do the same for you." The girl blushed slight and turned her head so Leo could clean off the blood on her face. "Okay, can you heal up the gash?"

"M-Maybe. I'm pretty worn out-t. I'll h-heal it when I f-feel better," Livana said with a shiver.

Leo frowned. "Keep it safe until then. Do you need new clothes?"

"Y-Yeah the snow m-made mine wet."

"You'll get hypothermia! Can you make new clothes?"

"N-Not right now-"

"Okay," Leo said. He took off his army fatigue. "Take off your pullover." Livana blushed and slipped out of the clothing item, tossing it aside. It dissipated into the shadows and Livana was left in her black turtleneck. Leo wrapped his jacket around her, letting her slide her arms into the sleeves. It fit her better than her typical oversized sweaters, but the sleeves were a bit big for her.

Livana's stomach fluttered as she hugged the jacket closer. Leo patted her head and walked away to work on the cage locks. Once Jason finished eating, he started to nod off. Piper was already asleep on the other sofa. Livana wondered if she really was asleep or just avoiding questions about her dad. Whatever Medea had meant in Chicago, about Piper getting her dad back if she cooperated- it didn't sound good. If Piper risked her own dad to save them, that made Livana feel even guiltier.

And they were running out of time. If Livana had her days straight, this was early morning of December 20. Which meant tomorrow was the winter solstice.

"Get some sleep," Leo said, still working on the cage. "It's your turn, Jason."

Jason took a deep breath. "Leo, I'm sorry about that stuff I said in Chicago. That wasn't me. You're not annoying and you do take stuff seriously- especially your work. I wish I could do half the things you can do."

Leo lowered his screwdriver. He looked at the ceiling and shook his head like, What am I gonna do with this guy?

"I try very hard to be annoying," Leo said. "Don't insult my ability to annoy. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly mechanic. You're like the prince of the sky, son of the Lord of the Universe. I'm supposed to resent you."

"Lord of the Universe?"

"Sure, you're all- bam! Lightning man. And 'Watch me fly. I am the eagle that soars-'"

"Shut up, Valdez."

Leo managed a smile. "Yeah, see. I do annoy you."

"I apologize for apologizing."

"Thank you." He went back to work, but the tension between them had eased- Livana was grateful. Leo still looked sad and exhausted- just not quite so angry.

"Go to sleep, Jason," he ordered. "It's gonna take a few hours to get this goat man free. Then I still got to figure out how to make the winds a smaller holding cell, 'cause I am not lugging that canary cage to California."

"You did fix Festus, you know," Jason said. "You gave him a purpose again. I think this quest was the high point of his life."

Leo sighed. "I hope," he said. "Now, sleep, man. I want some time without you organic life forms."

Jason shrugged and lied down, sleeping instantly. Livana looked over the back of the couch at Leo.

"Do you want me to sleep, too?" She asked.

"Do you wanna?" Leo replied.

"No."

"Then you don't have to." Leo continued working on the cage. Livana carefully got up and sat next to him.

"So, uh," she said, "what did you want to talk about?" Leo didn't look up from the lock, staying silent for a moment.

He sighed and pulled away. Livana noticed his hands shaking as he put the screwdriver down. She frowned and grabbed one gently. "Take your time," she said. Leo looked into her eyes with sadness.

He told Livana. He told her about everything. About his mother. He told her the whole story with every detail, no missed words or actions. He didn't even know he was crying until Livana wiped a tear from his cheek.

"Oh, Leo," Livana said. Her eyes held compassion and empathy for the boy. She held his trembling hands gently. "None of that is your fault."

"It is," Leo said, squeezing his eyes shut as tears poured down his face. "Medea saw the future. She sent Gaea to the machine shop. My mom died because of something I might do someday. Even if my fire powers weren't to blame, Mom's death was still my fault."

"Your future cannot determine what happens in the present," Livana said, wiping his tears away. "Someone else's decision is not your fault." Leo frowned and leaned into her palm.

"When we left Medea in the fire, I felt good. Too good. I hoped she wouldn't make it out, and that she'd go back to the Fields of Punishment," Leo said, voice full of shame.

"That's perfectly normal to feel that way. She hurt you, of course you'd feel good seeing her get hurt. There was not a drop of good in Medea." Livana rubbed the boy's back soothingly.

"And...I got to thinking. If souls are coming back from the Underworld, could Mom be brought back?" Leo asked. He sighed and shook his head. "I've been trying to push the idea aside, it's Frankenstein thinking. Medea was brought back, but she wasn't right." A few more tears fell from Leo's brown eyes. "No, my mom has passed on. I can't think like this."

"It's not right, but it's normal to believe those things. You're strong, Leo. What happened to your mother was horrible, but not your fault," Livana said. She wiped the rest of his tears away before Leo pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you. Festus was just... the final point for me. I can't break down now, but I just feel like an un-calibrated machine. I'll never work right," Leo said.

"Do you know what that makes you?" Livana asked.

Leo shook his head.

"Human," Livana answered. "You're not a robot. You're human. None of us will work perfectly."

Leo held her like she was going to disappear if he didn't hold tight. He pulled away slightly, just to look into her eyes. Livana's heart pounded quickly. Leo gave her a grin.

"What about you?" He asked. "You didn't live a perfect life, did you?" Leo pulled away, holding one of Livana's hands as he started working on the cage again.

"Oh, uh," Livana said. "I don't.... really remember it's.... bits and pieces."

Leo nodded. "Well, what do you remember?"

"It's," Livana took a shaky breath. She gripped the edge of her skirt and squeezed Leo's hand. "A-Actually, can we not get into this right now? I-I don't feel so good and uh..." her voice quavered as she spoke. "They aren't good memories."

"Hey," Leo said, "that's okay. You don't have to say anything until you're ready, or not at all. Just make sure you have good ways to cope."

"I don't know," Livana choked back a sob. "H-Hold on I'm sorry."

"You okay? I'm sorry I-"

"No it's not your fault- I'm uh," Livana rubbed her mouth, "Can I stay awake with you?" Leo squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Yeah, totally. You sure you're alright?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. Just.... things getting to me," Livana said. She let out shaky sigh. "Thanks for being here with me. You're a great friend."

A flash of pain reflected in Leo's eyes. "Yeah, no problem. I'm gonna work on this cage, but feel free to talk whenever."

Livana leaned against Leo's side as he worked. Sleepiness never came for her, especially with her bad headache. The fluttering feeling in her stomach also became a harsh opponent. "My sickness is worse," Livana mumbled.

"Sickness?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. My heart speeds up a lot, not like anxiety. And my gut feels like bugs."

"Like, butterflies?" Leo squinted as he worked on the cage lock.

"Yeah, exactly! And sometimes my face gets hot, too." Livana sat up slightly. Leo stayed quiet. He pressed his lips together in thought.

"Well, it sound like you have a c-"

"Ahhhggggggh!" The satyr coach burst out of his unlocked cage.

"Coach is awake," Leo said, which was kind if unnecessary. Gleeson Hedge was capering around on his furry hindquarters, swinging his club and yelling, "Die!" as he smashed the tea set, whacked sofas, and charged at the throne.

"Coach!" Jason yelled.

Hedge turned, breathing hard. His eyes were so wild, Livana was afraid he might attack. The satyr was still wearing his orange polo shirt and his coach's whistle, but his horns were clearly visible above his curly hair, and his beefy hindquarters were definitely all goat. Could you call a goat beefy? Livana put the thought aside.

"You're the new kid," Hedge said, lowering his club. "Jason." He looked at Leo, then Livana, then Piper, who'd apparently also just woken up. Her hair looked like it had become a nest for a friendly hamster.

"Valdez, McLean, and..."

"Livana Corbin," Livana answered for him.

"What's going on? We were at the Grand Canyon. The storm spirits were attacking and-" He zeroed in on the storm spirit cage, and his eyes went back to DEFCON 1. "Die!"

"Woah, Coach!" Leo stepped in his path, which was pretty brave, even though Hedge was six inches shorter. "It's okay. They're locked up. We just sprang you from the other cage."

"Cage? Cage? What's going on? Just because I'm a satyr doesn't mean I can't have you doing plank push-ups, Valdez!"

"Monsieur Gleeson, you saved us at the canyon," Livana said. "You were very brave, thank you!"

"Hmm. You're polite, I like you, Corbin." Hedge scratched his furry goat leg.

"The rest of the extraction team and I came and took the others to camp. We thought we lost you. Then we got word the storm spirits had taken you back to their- um, operator, Medea."

"That witch! Wait- that's impossible. She's mortal. She's dead."

"Yeah, well," Leo said, "somehow she's not dead anymore."

Hedge nodded, his eyes narrowing. "So! You were sent on a dangerous quest to rescue me. Excellent!"

"Um." Piper got to her feet, holding out her hands so Coach Hedge wouldn't attack her. "Actually, Glee- can I still call you Coach Hedge? Gleeson just seems wrong. We're on a quest for something else. We kind of found you by accident."

"Oh." The coach's spirits seemed to deflate, but only for a second. Then his eyes lit up again. "But there are no accidents! Not on quests. This was meant to happen! So, this is the witch's lair, eh? Why is everything gold?"

"Gold?" Livana looked around. From the way Leo and Piper caught their breath, she guessed they hadn't noticed yet either.

The room was full of gold- the statues, the tea set Hedge smashed, the chair that was definitely a throne. Even the curtains- which seemed to have opened by themselves at daybreak- appeared to be woven of gold fiber.

"Nice," Leo said. "No wonder they got so much security."

"This isn't-" Piper stammered. "This isn't Medea's place, Coach. It's some rich person's in Omaha. We got away from Medea and crash-landed here."

"It's destiny, cupcakes!" Hedge insisted. "I'm meant to protect you. What's the quest?"

Before Livana could decide if she wanted to explain or just shove Coach Hedge back into his cage, a door opened at the far end of the room.

A pudgy man in a white bathrobe stepped out with a golden toothbrush in his mouth. He had a white beard and one of those long, old-fashioned sleeping caps pressed over his white hair. He froze when he saw them, and the toothbrush fell out of his mouth.

He glanced into the room behind him and called, "Son? Lit, come out here, please. There are strange people in the throne room."

Coach Hedge did the obvious thing. He raised his club and shouted, "Die!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaa i hope you guys liked it! some comments would be appreciated! feel free to give constructive criticism or just tell me what you thought of the chapter! c: ALSO, i am copy pasting from my wattpad story and i just noticed ao3 doesn't keep bolded or italicized words! so some things might be confusing (like the shadows sentences). ill do my best to start fixing this but it will take a while because i have to read through each chapter AND the book to see each bolded or italicized words aaasbsiasubabckbk.


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